Poor, poor Kristi Noem. Politically isolated, under investigation, and stymied by lawmakers in her own party, it’s been a tough week for the South Dakota governor.
The knives are out in South Dakota, as Kristi Noem is politically isolated and facing multiple investigations of her conduct.
Daily Beast: “The Republican Knives Are Out for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem”
Daily Beast: “State political insiders suggest Noem is basically alone in Pierre, and that even if she remains beloved by large swaths of the Republican base, her image has taken a serious dent among the very people she needs to get things done.”
Daily Beast: “Policy fights aside, Noem is also under pressure thanks to a pair of investigations into her past conduct—some of which have been set off by members of her own party.”
Last Wednesday, Governor Noem suffered another blow as Republicans in her state legislature blocked her extreme anti-abortion bill.
Newsweek: “South Dakota Republicans Halt Kristi Noem’s Abortion Bill, Shock Governor”
Insider: “The bill would have banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is around six weeks of pregnancy and sometimes before some women realize they are pregnant. The proposal also sought to use lawsuits brought by private citizens, rather than criminal charges filed by state prosecutors, to enforce the bill.”
Associated Press: “But it quickly met resistance when groups opposed to abortion access raised issues over her bill draft and Republican lawmakers on the House State Affairs committee declined to give it a hearing — a move rarely seen in the Legislature that signaled defiance of the governor.”
And just when it looked like things couldn’t possibly get worse, a new report revealed that Kristi Noem accepted campaign donations from a convicted murderer and a right-wing extremist.
Sioux Falls Argus Leader: “Noem’s latest finance report found multiple donations totaling $10,000 from Louisiana man Charles Pilkinton, who was convicted of homicide in 2010 after admitting to shooting a man in the head two years earlier and pleading down from second-degree murder charges.”
Sioux Falls Argus Leader: “The 2021 year-end filing also shows $4,000 in contributions from a Florida man named Steve Alembik, a known right-wing extremist with a history of using racially and ethnically disparaging language to attack Democrats and progressives.”
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