Kristi Noem

Kristi Lynn Noem (née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician who has served since 2019 as the 33rd governor of South Dakota.

Noem graduated from Hamlin High School in 1990, and was crowned South Dakota Snow Queen that year.

Noem attended Northern State University from 1990 to 1994, but did not graduate.

Noem's father was killed in a farm machinery accident in 1994.

Her daughter, Kassidy, was born on April 21, 1994.

Noem left college early to run the family farm.

She added a hunting lodge and restaurant to the family property.

Her siblings also moved back to help expand the businesses.

Noem subsequently took classes at the Watertown campus of Mount Marty College and at South Dakota State University, and online classes from the University of South Dakota.

In 2006, Noem won a seat as a Republican in the South Dakota House of Representatives, representing the 6th district (comprising parts of Beadle, Clark, Codington, Hamlin, and Kingsbury counties).

In 2006, she won with 39% of the vote.

Noem served for four years, from 2007 to 2010; she was an assistant majority leader during her second term.

During her tenure, Noem was the prime sponsor of 11 bills that became law, including several property tax reforms and two bills to increase gun rights in South Dakota.

In 2008, she was reelected with 41%.

In 2009, she served as vice chair of the Agriculture Land Assessment Advisory Task Force.

Senator Larry Rhoden chaired the task force and later served as her lieutenant governor.

In 2010, Noem ran for South Dakota's at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

She won the Republican primary with a plurality of 42 percent of the vote against South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson and State Representative Blake Curd.

Her primary opponents endorsed her in the general election.

Noem's opponent, incumbent Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, emphasized her own record of independence from the Democratic caucus, including her votes against health care reform, the Wall Street bailouts, and the cap-and-trade energy bill.

In response, Noem repeatedly highlighted Herseth Sandlin's vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House.

During the 2010 election cycle, Noem outraised Herseth Sandlin, $2.3 million to $2.1 million.

Noem defeated Herseth Sandlin, 48 to 46 percent.

Noem was reelected to a second term, defeating Democrat Matthew Varilek, 57–43 percent.

Noem was reelected to a third term, defeating Democrat Corinna Robinson, 67–33 percent.

Noem was reelected to a fourth term, defeating Democrat Paula Hawks, 64–36 percent.

A member of the Republican Party, she was the U.S. representative for SD'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.

The 2011 House Republican 87-member freshman class elected Noem as liaison to the House Republican leadership, making her the second woman member of the House GOP leadership.

According to The Hill, her role was to push the leadership to make significant cuts to federal government spending and to help Speaker John Boehner manage the expectations of the freshman class.

In March 2011, Republican Representative Pete Sessions of Texas named Noem one of the 12 regional directors for the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2012 election campaign.

After being elected to Congress, Noem continued her education through online courses.

The Washington Post dubbed her Capitol Hill's "most powerful intern" for receiving college intern credits from her position as a member of Congress.

On March 8, 2011, she announced the formation of a leadership political action committee, KRISTI PAC.

She completed her degree in political science at SDSU in 2012 while serving in Congress.

She earned a B.A. in political science from South Dakota State University in 2012.

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.

Kristi Noem was born to Ron and Corinne Arnold in Watertown, South Dakota, and was raised with her siblings on their family ranch and farm in rural Hamlin County.

She has Norwegian ancestry.