Sioux Falls, S.D.: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem took the stage late Tuesday after a hearty reelection win in her deep red state, speaking behind a sign that captured her ambition for staying in the national spotlight: “America’s governor.”
The Republican governor has sprung to national prominence during her first term as the state’s first female governor, and her 27 percentage point victory margin — larger than many expected — seemed to prove the popularity of her hands-off approach to the COVID pandemic and rightward political push.
Noem is widely seen as a potential 2024 White House contender, though she told her crowd of supporters who gathered at a Sioux Falls hotel Tuesday she was looking forward to four more years in South Dakota.
Noem is looking to kick off her second term by enacting a historic tax cut, fend off attempts to soften the state’s abortion ban, and address shortages in both child care and affordable housing. But she will be working with a Legislature, that despite being firmly held by Republicans, has sometimes produced significant political headaches for the governor.
