{"id":2636405,"date":"2026-07-28T06:37:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T10:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kristi-noem-sits-out-south-dakota-gop-governor-showdown\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T06:44:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T10:44:55","slug":"kristi-noem-sits-out-south-dakota-gop-governor-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kristi-noem-sits-out-south-dakota-gop-governor-showdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Kristi Noem sits out South Dakota GOP governor showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/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-sits-out-south-dakota-gop-governor-showdown%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=2636405&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>South Dakota Republicans are set to choose their gubernatorial nominee in the state&#8217;s first runoff election,featuring incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden and challenger Toby Doeden.Rhoden, in office as 2001, emphasizes his experience and leadership, while Doeden campaigns on opposing eminent domain policies and criticized infrastructure plans. notably absent from the race is Kristi Noem, a former governor and DHS Secretary, whose influence has waned following her ousting from Trump\u2019s Cabinet amid scandals, including personal issues and controversial campaigns. Noem has offered minimal involvement in the current race, instead sharing a soft endorsement of Rhoden through her family. The campaign has centered on policy debates, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/governor-abbott-calls-second-special-session-over-property-tax-reductions\/\" title=\"... Abbott calls second special session for property tax reductions.\">property tax reductions<\/a>, with Doeden pledging to eliminate taxes, and Rhoden promising cuts without full elimination. doeden has personally invested $4 million in his campaign, and both candidates have faced attack ads. The election highlights ongoing political dynamics in South Dakota, with focus on leadership experience and policy positions.  <\/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<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/south-dakota\/\">South Dakota<\/a> Republicans will choose their nominee for governor Tuesday in the state\u2019s first <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gop\/\">GOP<\/a> runoff election. One figure has been conspicuously missing from the race: former Department of Homeland Security Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kristi-noem\/\">Kristi Noem<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Noem\u2019s once-dominant influence over the South Dakota GOP has been largely absent from the campaign after being<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\/\"> ousted<\/a> from President Donald Trump\u2019s Cabinet.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4664580\/kristi-noem-sits-out-south-dakota-governor-race\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Once-dominant Kristi Noem sits out South Dakota GOP governor showdown<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4662343\/new-jersey-illegal-immigrant-voter-registration-scandal-fuels-accusations\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>New Jersey\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >illegal immigrant voter registration scandal fuels accusations<\/a> of conspiracy and cover-up<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4661888\/read-in-full-mike-lindell-amnesty-proposal\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>READ IN FULL: Mike Lindell\u2019s amnesty proposal<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden (R-SD) faces a spirited challenge from Toby Doeden, the owner of car dealerships and rental properties in South Dakota. Doeden carried 30.6% in the June 2 primary to Rhoden\u2019s 25.2%. Since neither candidate garnered the 35% required by state law, the primary is headed to a runoff \u2014 the first in South Dakota\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rhoden has served in office since 2001 and became governor after Noem was picked to lead DHS last year. Rhoden has leaned into his political experience, with his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/governorlarryrhoden.com\/\">campaign<\/a> touting the governor as\u00a0a \u201cpublic servant\u201d with a demonstrated history of leadership.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Doeden, in comparison, touts his lack of prior political experience and endorsement from Turning Point Action. He says he was compelled to run because of Rhoden\u2019s hesitancy to immediately oppose eminent domain for carbon pipelines and a planned $650 million prison project to replace the state\u2019s 144-year-old penitentiary, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dakotanewsnow.com\/2025\/04\/19\/toby-doeden-makes-political-establishment-nervous-so-whats-his-next-move\/\">according to<\/a> Dakota News Now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u200b\u201cI was very saddened to see who he surrounded himself with,\u201d said Doeden. \u201cAnd I was very saddened that he continued to want to build this Ritz-Carlton prison. You know, this isn\u2019t what the people of South Dakota want.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite serving alongside Rhoden as lieutenant governor and dominating South Dakota Republican politics for years, Noem has been a nonfactor for much of the campaign.\u00a0The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to Noem for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Noem served as South Dakota\u2019s governor from 2019 to 2026 and before that represented the state\u2019s at-large congressional district for eight years in the House. Her absence follows a tumultuous exit as DHS chief earlier this year amid a series of personal and professional scandals. Those include revelations about her now-separated husband\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4512336\/kristi-bryon-noem-unconventional-marriage-open-secret\/\">cross-dressing fetish<\/a> and the approval of a controversial $220 million DHS ad campaign that prominently featured Noem.<\/p>\n<p>The scandals resulted in Trump firing Noem. Rather than remain at DHS, Noem was appointed special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, the administration\u2019s cartel-fighting initiatives in the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When exiting the Cabinet, Noem was floated as a potential primary challenger to Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD). Noem opted not to run for the seat, and her political involvement in South Dakota appears minimal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, Noem offered a soft endorsement of Rhoden by sharing a Facebook post made by her son-in-law backing the governor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCould not have said it better,\u201d Noem <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kristi.noem\/posts\/pfbid0Bo9RbMAHQXHwRpNgB7bNgbPHoAugN2VTGYNBUZx9eWryAG7TXYJKEnYQ8NfD24PNl?rdid=7CIeG3xuRj0kSizO#\">said<\/a> when sharing the post.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even so, the campaign has unfolded without Noem playing a meaningful role.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, the race has focused on policy debates including property taxes. Rhoden has promised to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-postal-service-just-institutionalized-election-interference-with-new-mail-in-ballot-division\/\" title=\"U.S. Postal Service Just Institutionalized Election Interference With New Mail-In-Ballot Division\">cut property taxes<\/a>, but has not gone as far as Doeden\u2019s pledge to eliminate them outright.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Attack ads have accused Doeden of being \u201ctoo reckless for South Dakota,\u201d and for allegedly voting for former President Barack Obama, a claim Doeden maintains is false. Rhoden, meanwhile, has faced ads alleging he supported raising over<strong> <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/host2.adimpact.com\/admo\/#\/viewer\/691cbf4f-3ad4-455f-b695-dd0ff367ed43\">400 taxes and fees<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Specific details on how candidates were funding their campaigns remain obscure, though Doeden has donated $4 million of his own money to his campaign.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4663534\/house-republicans-strongest-position-ever-100-days-midterms\/\"><strong>HOUSE REPUBLICANS \u2018IN THE STRONGEST POSITION\u2019 EVER 100 DAYS FROM MIDTERMS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ian Fury, who serves as Rhoden\u2019s campaign manager, said there are several major issues distinguishing the candidates. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe is the only one in this race who made his living in agriculture, which is crucial in a state where agriculture is by far our biggest industry,\u201d Fury told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cHe\u2019s the only one who served our nation in uniform, which matters given that the governor is commander in chief of the National Guard. And he\u2019s the only one who\u2019s actually done the job of governor, delivering results by leading with civility and integrity, two words that are (unfortunately) foreign to Mr. Doeden.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SD GOP runoff: Kristi Noem absent from governor race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4299,"featured_media":2636406,"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\/07\/Kristi-Noem-e1785191185648.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6203,4173,32359,5894,40710],"class_list":["post-2636405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-gop","tag-governor","tag-kristi-noem","tag-politics","tag-south-dakota"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kristi-Noem-e1785191185648.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2636405","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\/4299"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2636405"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2636405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2636409,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2636405\/revisions\/2636409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2636406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2636405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2636405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2636405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}