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| Photo Credit: AP. |
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (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. Kristi Noem took the stage in a suburban Phoenix convention hall. “She’s our governor!” someone yelled.
Kari Lake,
the Republican nominee for governor in Arizona who hosted the event this past
week, stood beside Noem and joined in the praise. She called Noem an
“inspiration” who stood up for families against intrusive government mandates
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
“I wish I
could vote for a woman like that,” Lake said. “But I don’t live in South
Dakota.”
If Noem has
ambitions beyond her state, she must first take care of political business back
home: winning a second term in November.
Many
expected her to cruise to victory in a Republican-dominated state against a
Democratic opponent without statewide experience. 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.
Drey
Samuelson, a longtime Democratic strategist in the state, said few people gave
Democratic state Rep. Jamie Smith much of a chance when he announced his
campaign for governor, given Smith’s lack of name recognition and Noem’s
massive fundraising advantage. Republicans have almost doubled Democrats on
voter rolls and Smith’s highest political experience was leading House
Democrats — a beleaguered band that has dwindled to eight members.
But Smith
has run a shrewd race by seeking to turn Noem’s ambition against her, Samuelson
said.
“Everyone I
talk to, both Republicans and Democrats, believes that he has closed the gap on
her,” he said.
Noem did not
grant an interview request for this story. Her campaign spokesman, Ian Fury,
said Noem “has never taken a single election for granted.”
“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.
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.
Noem’s
campaign has argued that lending a hand to fellow Republicans helps advance the
conservative cause. 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.
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. 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.
Smith, with
$900,000 raised for his campaign, has gone around the state in his pickup,
visiting every county in his long shot challenge. Panning Noem’s out-of-state
trips has been a recurring theme of his 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.
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. 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. The
state ethics board, on a matter first reported by the AP, found evidence of
misconduct but has not revealed its action against her.
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. Noem also
faces questions about whether she can win over women, especially after abortion
emerged as a key election-year issue.
Noem’s
abortion stance, without exceptions for rape and incest, may be out of step
with South Dakotans, who voted in 2006 and 2008 against legislative attempts to
completely ban the procedure.
“There are
some lingering questions about whether she is ready for prime time,” Card said.
If nothing
else, Smith seems to have Noem’s attention.
She recently
came out with an ad that tied Smith to President Joe Biden, who won 36% of
South Dakota’s vote in 2020. The governor grabbed hold of an issue Smith had
pressed for years by promising to repeal a state tax on groceries. 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.
Alice
Stewart, a Republican strategist who advised Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016
presidential campaign, played down the idea that a narrow Noem victory would
hurt her down the road. 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.
The grocery
tax repeal was just such a move, along with a promise by Noem to expand
parental leave opportunities.
But Casey
Murschel, 71, said she plans to vote for Smith. A former GOP state
representative in the Sioux Falls area, Murschel said the riot at the U.S.
Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, led her to leave the party and identify as an
independent. She said she trusts Smith to focus on governing the state and to
advocate for abortion rights.
“Kristi has
gone Hollywood,” she said. “She has basically turned her back on South Dakotans.
We’re like props for her.”
Groves
reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
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