33rd Governor of South Dakota
Years in Office: 2019 – 2025
Birth: November 30, 1971, Watertown, South Dakota

Governor Kristi Noem served as the thirty-third Governor of South Dakota, taking office in 2019 as the state’s first female governor.

Noem was born on November 30, 1971. She grew up on her family’s ranch and farm in Hamlin County, where she and her siblings worked alongside their parents, Ron and Corinne Arnold. Noem graduated from Hamlin High School in 1990 and went on to attend Northern State University.

After the unexpected death of her father in a farm accident, Noem returned home to help run the family operation, later expanding it into a hunting lodge and restaurant business. While managing the growing business and raising her family, she continued to pursue her degree, ultimately graduating from South Dakota State University in political science in 2012.

In 1992, Kristi married Bryon Noem. Together they raised their three children – Kassidy, Kennedy, and Booker – on their family ranch, remaining deeply connected to the agricultural way of life that had defined her upbringing.

Noem entered politics in 2006 when she was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives, serving two terms. During her second term, she served as assistant majority leader, and was a leader of the effort to establish a productivity-based assessment system for agricultural property valuations.

In 2010, Noem ran for South Dakota’s at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She won a competitive three-way Republican primary, then defeated incumbent Stephanie Herseth Sandlin in the general election. During her four terms in Congress, Noem led on agricultural issues and helped write two farm bills. She became the first South Dakotan to serve on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, where she was on the final negotiating team for President Donald J. Trump’s tax cut legislation in 2017.

In 2018, Noem ran for governor, winning the Republican nomination and defeating State Senator Billie Sutton in the general election. She took office in January 2019 alongside Lieutenant Governor Larry Rhoden, a rancher and legislator from Union Center.

As Governor, Noem emphasized limited government, fiscal responsibility, and economic growth. She prioritized expanding broadband access to rural areas, investing in infrastructure, and strengthening South Dakota’s agriculture industry. Under her leadership, South Dakota achieved record-low unemployment rates, record tourism growth, and significant expansion in housing and workforce development. Noem also championed the protection of Second Amendment rights, the expansion of foster care and adoption services, and efforts to promote civics education in schools.

Noem earned national attention for her management of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, emphasizing personal responsibility over government mandates. That same year, she welcomed President Trump to Mount Rushmore to resume its annual display of Fourth of July Fireworks. Noem capitalized on her national profile with the “Freedom Works Here” campaign, which encouraged like-minded businesses and workers to relocate to South Dakota.

Governor Noem and Lt. Governor Rhoden were reelected in 2022, winning the most votes ever cast for a gubernatorial candidate until that time. In 2024, President Trump asked her to join his administration as Secretary of Homeland Security. She accepted and resigned to accept that office on January 25, 2025, making her just the second governor in South Dakota history to resign.

Noem will be honored June 2026 with a statue by sculptor John Lopez north of the intersection of South Dakota Blvd with Church St

written by Tony Venhuizen