![]() The grocery tax repeal was just such a move, along with a promise by Noem to expand parental leave opportunities.īut Casey Murschel, 71, said she plans to vote for Smith. More important, Stewart said, is whether Noem is showing leadership on issues such as the economy, crime, parental rights and education that are important to broad groups of voters. Ted Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign, played down the idea that a narrow Noem victory would hurt her down the road. She also returned to campaigning quickly after announcing a back surgery she initially said could require several months for full recovery, with appearances in her traditional stronghold of Rapid City as well as the Arizona visit.Īlice Stewart, a Republican strategist who advised Texas Sen. The governor grabbed hold of an issue Smith had pressed for years by promising to repeal a state tax on groceries. She recently came out with an ad that tied Smith to President Joe Biden, who won 36% of South Dakota’s vote in 2020. If nothing else, Smith seems to have Noem’s attention. “There are some lingering questions about whether she is ready for prime time,” Card said. Noem’s abortion stance, without exceptions for rape and incest, may be out of step with South Dakotans, who voted in 20 against legislative attempts to completely ban the procedure. Noem also faces questions about whether she can win over women, especially after abortion emerged as a key election-year issue. Michael Card, a former political strategist and professor at the University of South Dakota, said Noem has made herself vulnerable on those issues, while also irking many teachers and school administrators by naming a conservative college in Michigan to help remake the state’s social studies standards. The state ethics board, on a matter first reported by the AP, found evidence of misconduct but has not revealed its action against her. During his lone debate with Noem, he only briefly mentioned ethics complaints that have dogged her in recent months, including her intervention with a state agency in the application by one of her daughters for a real estate appraiser’s license. Smith, a real estate agent who has also worked as a teacher and coach, has cast himself as a moderate and so far has run a mostly upbeat campaign. ![]() “We need a leader that’s focused on the state of South Dakota, that’s working for the people and that truly cares about what’s best for the state,” Smith told The Associated Press. Panning Noem’s out-of-state trips has been a recurring theme of his campaign. Smith, with $900,000 raised for his campaign, has gone around the state in his pickup, visiting every county in his long shot challenge. Noem had severed ties last year with Lewandowski after he was accused by a donor of making unwanted sexual advances at a fundraiser that Noem and Lewandowski both attended. The governor sailed through spring and summer, releasing an autobiography, creating a nationwide fundraising network that amassed nearly $12 million and publicly reconnecting with Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign manager. ![]() But she has also paid to boost her campaign ads on Facebook in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire - important early presidential primary states - and granted several interviews where she warmed to the idea of running for the White House. Noem’s campaign has argued that lending a hand to fellow Republicans helps advance the conservative cause. Her recent stop in Arizona, which was also the site of a family wedding, was just one appearance in more than a dozen states this campaign cycle. “She works hard for her constituents, she works hard on the campaign trail and she is going to run through the finish line,” he said. But her frequent out-of-state travels, as well as recent ethics stumbles, have given Democrats license to dream of an upset - or at least making the race close enough to raise questions about Noem’s viability on a bigger stage. Many expected her to cruise to victory in a Republican-dominated state against a Democratic opponent without statewide experience. If Noem has ambitions beyond her state, she must first take care of political business back home: winning a second term in November. ![]() “I wish I could vote for a woman like that,” Lake said. The warm reception was familiar to Noem, who has made such appearances part of building her national profile as a potential 2024 White House contender. She called Noem an “inspiration” who stood up for families against intrusive government mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kari Lake, the Republican nominee for governor in Arizona who hosted the event this past week, stood beside Noem and joined in the praise. Kristi Noem took the stage in a suburban Phoenix convention hall. (AP) - They had waited in the desert heat in a line that wrapped around the block and now the excitement was palpable when South Dakota Gov.
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