{"id":2576573,"date":"2026-03-05T16:51:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T21:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kristi-noem-could-still-enter-south-dakota-senate-race-after-dhs-exit\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T16:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T21:54:08","slug":"kristi-noem-could-still-enter-south-dakota-senate-race-after-dhs-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kristi-noem-could-still-enter-south-dakota-senate-race-after-dhs-exit\/","title":{"rendered":"Kristi Noem could still enter South Dakota Senate race after DHS exit"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkristi-noem-could-still-enter-south-dakota-senate-race-after-dhs-exit%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2576573&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Speculation is growing that Kristi Noem coudl seek a Senate seat in South Dakota if she leaves the Trump administration. President Trump recently signaled a reshuffle by moving noem from Homeland Security and naming her as a special envoy for the Shield of the americas, a role she described as targeting cartels and drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere. For any Senate bid, SD\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/reporters-grill-psaki-over-lack-of-access-to-border-crisis-you-promised-truth-and-transparency\/\" title=\"Reporters Grill Psaki Over Lack Of Access To Border Crisis: You \u2018Promised\u2019 Truth And Transparency\">filing deadline<\/a> is March 31, 2026, wiht candidates needing 2,171 valid signatures and a June 2 primary. Noem would likely face Sen. Mike Rounds, who has strong GOP support and a history of fending off primary challenges; Trump has endorsed Rounds, while Senate Majority Leader John thune would likely back him if Noem challenged. Another option for Noem could be a return to the at-large House seat she previously held,should it open. Noem has signaled broader national ambitions, including possible presidential interest, which would influence how she navigates a tight, fast-moving campaign timeline and potential scrutiny of DHS if Democrats gain the House.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Could Kristi Noem run for Senate after DHS exit? Filing deadline looms<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2524224\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The door may be closing on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem&rsquo;s tenure in President Donald Trump&rsquo;s Cabinet, but another remains open: running for Senate in her home state of South Dakota, as the filing deadline has not yet passed.<\/p>\n<p>Speculation that Noem could mount a run sparked Thursday after President Donald Trump <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4482026\/trump-ousts-kristi-noem-department-homeland-security-chief-markwayne-mullin-take-place\/\">announced he was moving Noem out of the Department of Homeland Security<\/a> and appointing her as special envoy for the &ldquo;Shield of the Americas,&rdquo; a Western Hemisphere security initiative the administration plans to unveil Saturday in Doral, Florida. Trump announced the move on Truth Social.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking later in Nashville, Tennessee, while delivering the keynote address at the Sergeants Benevolent Association Major Cities Conference, Noem said the initiative will focus on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-of-ecuador-to-brief-congress-on-battling-mexican-drug-cartels\/\" title=\"Ecuador&#039;s President to update Congress on fight against Mexican drug ....\">combating drug cartels<\/a> across the region.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4482170\/stephanie-bice-hern-eye-senate-seat-mullin-dhs\/\">Stephanie Bice and Kevin Hern eye Oklahoma Senate seat if Mullin heads to DHS<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4481949\/paxton-drop-texas-senate-save-america-act\/\">Paxton offers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ken-paxton-offers-to-drop-texas-senate-bid-if-save-act-passes\/\" title=\"Ken Paxton offers to drop Texas ... if SAVE Act passes\">drop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/don-jr-issues-warning-to-gop-reps-unsupportive-of-president-trump\/\" title=\"Don Jr. issues warning to GOP reps. unsupportive of ...\">primary challenge<\/a><\/a> to Cornyn if Senate passes SAVE Act<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4481189\/democrats-sober-talarico-nomination-texas\/\">Democrats cautious after Talarico nomination in red Texas: &lsquo;Everything has to go right&rsquo;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;We have all kinds of new challenges, and that&rsquo;s why President Trump is going after the cartels by addressing it from the Western Hemisphere,&rdquo; Noem said, adding that the administration plans to work with regional partners to target cartel networks and drug trafficking.<\/p>\n<p>Even before the shift, there had been quiet talk among Republican operatives that Noem could consider challenging <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-rounds\/?_amp=true\">Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD)<\/a> in the 2026 Senate primary in South Dakota, according to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/2026\/02\/kristi-noem-south-dakota-senate-2026\/686073\/?gift=nHf7iWmpOKBdlkwz68mfUPQYdZWTzqug3SFxu175eXw&amp;utm_source=copy-link&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=share\">reporting <\/a>from the<em> Atlantic.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>South Dakota law <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/sdsos.gov\/elections-voting\/assets\/2026%20Documents\/2026HowtoCirculateNomPetitionStateLegCountyCandidates.pdf\">allows party nominating petitions <\/a>to be filed between Jan. 1 and 5 p.m. local time on March 31, 2026, for the primary scheduled for June 2. Candidates must submit 2,171 valid signatures from supporters statewide to qualify for the ballot.<\/p>\n<p>Rounds has faced conservative primary opposition before and prevailed comfortably. In 2020, he defeated a challenger running to his right by 50 percentage points. But Noem, a former governor with national name recognition, would likely pose a far more serious threat.<\/p>\n<p>A Senate bid could also give Noem a political landing spot after leaving the administration. If Democrats win back the House next year, they are expected to intensify oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, including decisions made during her tenure. Holding a Senate seat would provide staff resources and a national fundraising platform as she navigates possible scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the path would not be easy. While Trump and Rounds have clashed at times, particularly after Rounds said the 2020 election was legitimate, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >president ultimately endorsed<\/a> the South Dakota senator for reelection last summer, posting on Truth Social that Rounds &ldquo;will never let you down.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rounds also enjoys strong support within the Senate Republican conference. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), the state&rsquo;s senior senator and a close ally of Rounds, would likely back him if Noem mounted a primary challenge.<\/p>\n<p>Asked recently about speculation that Noem could run against him, Rounds downplayed the possibility.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had no contact with them on it at all,&rdquo; Rounds told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve basically been focused on just doing our job here. If we do our job here, then everything else works out.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Another potential path for Noem would be a return to the at-large House seat she held from 2011 to 2019, which will be open after Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) announced a run for governor.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4482026\/trump-ousts-kristi-noem-department-homeland-security-chief-markwayne-mullin-take-place\/\"><strong>TRUMP OUSTS KRISTI NOEM AS DHS CHIEF AND TAPS MARKWAYNE MULLIN TO TAKE HER PLACE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Noem has also previously hinted at broader national ambitions, including the possibility of joining a Republican presidential ticket or launching a White House bid of her own.<\/p>\n<p>For now, any decision would have to come quickly. Entering the race now would leave Noem with little time to build a campaign. South Dakota&rsquo;s primary is set for June 2, giving the former governor less than three months to organize and compete in the race.<\/p>\n<p><em>David Sivak contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Could Noem run for South Dakota Senate after DHS exit?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2576574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26064719331151.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[75166,72271,5894,73068,75165],"class_list":["post-2576573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-dhs-exit","tag-kristi-noem-2","tag-politics","tag-senate-race-2","tag-south-dakota-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26064719331151.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2576573"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2576577,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576573\/revisions\/2576577"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2576574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2576573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2576573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2576573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}