Stephen Groves/AP Photo; Michael Wyke/AP Photo; Insider
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is seeking a second term as governor of South Dakota.
Noem faces South Dakota state representative Jamie Smith.
In 2018, Noem got 51% of the vote, beating Democratic challenger Billie Sutton by 2 points.
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is running for a second term against South Dakota state representative Jamie Smith in the Mount Rushmore State.
South Dakota’s gubernatorial candidates
Noem, who spent nearly a decade in the US Congress and served two terms as a South Dakota state representative prior to that, is seeking her second term as governor.
The conservative firebrand has spent the past few years feuding with the Biden administration whenever possible, picking fights on everything from pandemic response efforts to hosting a Fourth of July fireworks display at Mount Rushmore.
In early 2021, Noem slammed GOP governors who complied with Biden administration orders to try and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, effectively shutting down their respective states. “We need leaders with grit,” she told attendees at a Conservative Political Action Committee gathering.
Though she remains an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump, Noem said she’d be “shocked” if he tapped her to be his 2024 running mate.
Smith has served three terms in the South Dakota state House of Representatives. He is currently House minority leader.
South Dakota’s voting history
The state trends solidly Republican in federal races, backing Trump by 26 points during the 2020 presidential election, and fielding a GOP-only congressional delegation.
Noem got 51% of the vote in 2018, edging out then-South Dakota state Sen. Billie Sutton by less than 3 percentage points. Noem has raised her profile since then, and Trump endorsed her in February 2022.
What the experts say
South Dakota’s governor’s race is rated as “solid Republican” by The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections, and “safe Republican” by Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.