Gov. Rhoden announces run for a full term. Ties himself to Kristi Noem, says “I stood by her every step of the way.”
Yesterday at Rapid City’s Alex Johnson Hotel, Gov. Larry Rhoden, who is completing the term of Krist Noem, said that he’ll run for Governor next year. Most strikingly, he tied himself closely to Noem, saying, “we think so much alike politically that we complete each other’s sentences,” later saying that “I stood beside her every step of the way … we made South Dakota a beacon for the rest of the nation.”
Adding to the plaudits, Rhoden’s running mate Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen said: “Gov. Rhoden is keeping South Dakota strong, safe and free, and he is delivering a government that is calm and competent … He is exactly what South Dakota needs right now, a steady, responsible governor … he fixes what isn’t working, and never forgets where he came from.” Moving the subject to property taxes, Venhuizen said, “nobody knows more about property tax than Larry Rhoden.”
Venhuizen’s reassurances were not illuminated by specifics or generalities about how Rhoden’s approach to property tax reform will look.
Rhoden didn’t elaborate, either, nor did he deliver any specifics or promises about health care and education.
He did, however, issue a number of one-liners, among them:
“The work ethic is still strong in South Dakota”
“We don’t build things for the moment. We go for the future.”
“My mission is as governor to keep South Dakota strong, safe and free”
“We have the blessings of living in the free-est state in the nation, and we should hand that freedom down to our kids and grandkids.”
“Good policy makes good politics.”
There were also a few brief policy generalities:
“We will continue to advance major public safety initiatives, not because it's easy, but because it's necessary.”
“We will protect our state's fiscal responsibility, our AAA credit rating, our fully funded pension, our balanced budget.”
“Our state has some of the lowest taxes, smallest government spending and the fewest regulations of any state in America, and I will keep it that way.”
Rhoden’s perfunctory announcement suited the moment. Its most notable element was that peek at what could be his central campaign theme, which mainly stresses his close ties to Kristi Noem and its implication that his tenure as a full-term governor will essentially be an extension of Noem’s administration.
That’s a strategy with a fair amount of risk because it assumes that Noem had a strong, popular following, but, based on polling done during her tenure as governor, the assumption is questionable.
A poll conducted in May of 2024 by South Dakota News Watch concluded that nearly half of South Dakotans had an unfavorable view of Noem. One conducted a year earlier by Emerson College had her approval rating at 43%.
South Dakotans weren’t particularly wowed by Noem.
By contrast, a poll taken last month had Rhoden’s approval rating at 57%. Rhoden may be better off running as his own man and detaching himself from a governor whose approval ratings were nothing to cheer about.
John Tsitrian is a businessman and writer from the Black Hills. He was a weekly columnist for the Rapid City Journal for 20 years. His articles and commentary have also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Denver Post and The Omaha World-Herald. Tsitrian served in the Marines for three years (1966-69), including a 13-month tour of duty as a radioman in Vietnam. Republish with permission.
Photo: courtesy John Tsitrian
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