In Kristi Noem’s South Dakota, Freedom Rings

05.09.2023 - 20:21 / forbes.com / Teddy Roosevelt

Spend any time in South Dakota and what strikes you most is that the place still works. At a time when so many American cities seem like backdrops for the next Hollywood dystopian thriller, life amid the amber waves of grain feels like utopia, a remnant of a country that once was. With 63 parks and recreation areas to explore, it’s no surprise that Forbes included the state on their recent best travel destinations list.

South Dakota’s natural beauty from the Black Hills and Badlands (the geologic wonder that Teddy Roosevelt once referred to as inspiring the romance of his life) to the sweeping prairies, holds some of the country’s most divergent landscapes.

Along with the state’s wild attractions and famous monuments, its economy is thriving. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the state ranked in the top five for growth in gross domestic product and personal income during the first quarter of 2023. The state’s real GDP also rose a whopping 10.1 percent and personal income went up 9.2 percent. Additionally, South Dakota recently broke the record for lowest unemployment rate, registering just 1.8 percent in June—roughly half the national average.

It was hard not to notice that the state’s second-term Governor, Kristi Noem (R), even helped launch a national workforce recruitment campaign last month to attract more workers and businesses to the state with the lure of no state income taxes, low cost of living, and a public education system that delivers some of the country’s highest SAT scores. Is it any wonder a national survey ranked South Dakota America’s happiest state? As pitch people go, it didn’t hurt that Noem looks like she stepped off the cover of Town & Country, which helps make her an earned-media machine. Some 3,500 applicants had already responded to the ad campaign by late July.

A key part of Noem’s success in South Dakota can be attributed to her skepticism of Covid lockdowns from the beginning. She refused to shut down the state’s businesses or order a statewide mask mandate despite widespread pressure—a decision that increasingly looks like a bold and visionary move. Instead, she was adamant that South Dakota residents make their own decisions about what is best for their families.

For Noem, it’s all about freedom and that’s a theme that she continues to champion in the state and nationally. She’s a fixture on conservative news outlets and, when you listen to her speak, you wonder why she hasn’t entered the Presidential sweepstakes. As state chief executives go, few have a more compelling narrative to bring to the debate stage.

Before her tenure as Governor, Noem represented South Dakota in Congress and served on the influential House Committee on Ways and Means, as well