South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem made a great point Wednesday during an interview with Fox News’ Laurence Jones.
While covering the 83rd Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, Jones asked Noem why she had decided not to run for president, despite the fact that a lot of governors were running and many people were pushing her to run, too.
You can’t ride through the Black Hills on an empty stomach!@LawrenceBJones3 from @FoxAndFriends and I made sure these Sturgis bikers didn’t skip their breakfast — so we cooked them up a hearty South Dakota meal
pic.twitter.com/XP5T1jfPp5
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) August 9, 2023
“Well, the fact is,” Noem replied, “None of them can win, as long as Trump is in the race. And that’s just a fact.”
“So why run if you can’t win?” she asked.
“I’ve probably run ten statewide races; I’ve won them all — I’ve never lost. If I get into a race, I’m going to win.”
“That’s just how we do it,” Noem said.
Noem makes a lot of sense.
The presidential race should not be a springboard for other ambitions or an attempt to get your name on the national stage when you have no chance of winning.
The latest Trump campaign internal poll by the polling group co/efficient shows Trump with a 42 percent lead over his closest competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump leads DeSantis by 42 POINTS in new national poll showing MORE Republicans are likely to vote for him after third indictment – and 75% think charges are a ‘distraction’ for Biden ‘corruption’ | Daily Mail Online https://t.co/22eq6Fb3wV
— Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) August 8, 2023
He is by far the top dog in the race, and as long as he remains in the race, there is little to no chance for anyone else.
Noem is young and she is doing a great job as governor.
In July, Noem announced that South Dakota had ended the 2022-2023 fiscal year with a $96.8 million surplus.
South Dakota’s Fiscal Year End surplus reached an impressive $96.8M!
Our economy continues to thrive, and so do our people.
Keeping taxes low and government limited allows our people to keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets. pic.twitter.com/uiLojIUFp9
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) July 17, 2023
Instead of jumping into a race just to wear the badge of a failed presidential candidate or to use the platform to lobby for her next job or a future run, she is focusing on the job she already has and fulfilling the duties the people of her state elected her to do.
And that shows character.
Noem went on to praise Trump, who, she said, “did some great things for our state and for our country.”
“As governor, he’s let me do my job, and I appreciate that,” Noem said.
“Biden doesn’t do that,” she added.
In June, The National Review reported that Noem had declined to endorse anyone for president, although she said that she couldn’t “see a path to victory for anybody else” with Trump in the race.
But when Jones pushed her about whether we should expect her to endorse Trump at his upcoming visit to South Dakota, Noem gave the impression that the door to an endorsement may not be tightly shut.
“Expect a fun, eventful rally,” she said.
“People were thrilled that he’s coming. We’re excited that he’s coming to help our Republican party,” she continued.
“He is inspirational,” Noem said. “People always show up to hear him say something interesting.
“And, yeah, you’ll hear something from me too,” she added enigmatically.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
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