Elected Governor of South Dakota
Editor's Note: Kristi Noem was elected governor of South Dakota on November 6. She is the state's first female governor.
By Lucy Powers
NFRW 2018 Kabis Intern
After serving four terms in Congress, Representative Kristi Noem (R-SD) knows how Washington works. She also understands the limitations of legislating from afar, and recognizes that many issues cannot be solved from Capitol Hill. This realization led Noem to rethink her role in government and enter the South Dakota gubernatorial race.
“We can’t fix this country from Washington, D.C.,” Noem said. “It’s going to take a few strong governors to reform their programs, to better take care of people, and to set the example for what really can be accomplished at the state level.”
One of the top issues Noem hopes to tackle from the statehouse is human trafficking.
Throughout her tenure in Congress, Noem has worked to end human trafficking at the national level. In March, she cosponsored the bipartisan Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, which was signed into law by President Trump on April 11. While this legislation will save the lives of trafficking victims nationally, Noem knows there is more work to be done at the local level.
“The big deception about human trafficking is that no one thinks it happens in their communities,” Noem said. “People don’t realize that we have this problem at home.”
As a member of the South Dakota legislature from 2006-2011, Noem learned first-hand the impact that local representatives can make. After eight years in Washington, she looks forward to working more closely on local issues once again—this time as South Dakota’s chief executive.
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Editor's Note: Kristi Noem won South Dakota's Republican gubernatorial primary on June 5 and is poised to become the state's first female governor. She is a member of Codington County Republican Women.