As a South Dakotan-in-exile (read: college) it is not often that I see my home state making the news. It’s the quintessential “flyover” state; our most noteworthy attributions are a palace of corn, four famous mountain heads and a less-famous fifth head-in-progress that is coming along at what feels like the rate of one dynamite stick a month. For the most part, we stay out of the limelight.
This week is an exception. Governor Kristi Noem’s office has released a new ad campaign seeking to incentivize people to move to the state. Titled “Freedom Works,” the campaign highlights a booming economy alongside Noem’s accomplishments during the pandemic by portraying the governor as a bad plumber and dentist, two jobs she is filling because there aren’t enough people in the state.
The ad campaign itself is harmless enough, and I encourage people to consider South Dakota if they are looking to move. Job opportunities brought my family to the state in 2013, and I am better off for it. What the campaign signifies, however, is worth speculating about. Throughout her tenure as governor, Noem has made a habit of performing for the national stage whenever she can. Rumors have swirled about her intentions for years now, but anyone mildly informed about her actions could tell you that she has aspirations for higher office. Her latest ad blitz on behalf of South Dakota is the latest sign that she’s angling for, if not a presidential nomination, then at least a spot on the ticket as VP.
Whose ticket she’d like to run on also isn’t a major secret. Between palling around with Mike Lindell and heckling Ron DeSantis, Noem has clearly staked out a pro-Trump position for herself. This includes a questionable record of nepotism like the former president.
Unfortunately for my governor, it seems her 15 minutes of national fame has faded. Kari Lake has seemingly taken up residence at Mar-a-Lago (according to an unnamed People magazine source), and Nancy Mace has had her name thrown into the ring for Trump’s VP pick. The midwestern winds have blown Noem out of the limelight just as fast as they blew her in.
On the bright side, her newfound free time should give her more time to govern. If she isn’t angling for a national gig, she won’t have to take so many trips out of state. Rather than pontificate on Fox News, she’ll be free to investigate why a carbon-capture company is using eminent domain to force her constituents to grant easements on their land. All in all, her return to obscurity would be good for my home state, and if her Hollywood test run helps bring people in, all the better.
You are no plumber or dentist, Governor Noem. That much is true. But you are a governor, and your constituents would appreciate it if, of the 25,000 open jobs, you did the one you are qualified for.