PERSON: Kristi Noem

U.S. State Government of South Dakota

Governor

Kristi Lynn Noem (/noʊm/; née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician who has served since 2019 as the 33rd governor of South Dakota. A member of the Republican Party, she was the U.S. representative for South Dakota’s at-large congressional district from 2011 to 2019, and a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives for the 6th district from 2007 to 2011.

First elected governor in 2018, Noem is South Dakota’s first female governor. During the 2018 election, she was endorsed by President Donald Trump. As governor, Noem rose to national prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic over her refusal to issue a statewide mandate to wear face masks. In February 2024, Trump said that Noem was on his shortlist of potential running mates.

Living in rural South Dakota, Noem is also a farmer and a rancher. She published her first autobiography, Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland, in 2022. In her second autobiography, No Going Back, Noem recounted an incident in which she shot and killed her young dog because she considered it “untrainable” after it killed another family’s chickens. Responding to widespread criticism, she argued that she was a “responsible owner” who made a tough decision.

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