Kristi Noem makes $700K ad buy ahead of Election Day as Smith launches statewide tour

Largest ad buy since Daschle/Thune contest of 2004

The final days of South Dakota’s 2022 gubernatorial election have the airwaves flooded with campaign ads and some high-profile politicians descending on the state.

Gov. Kristi Noem’s re-election campaign this week launched an arsenal of political advertisements, with a $700,000 ad buy that has Kristi for Governor ads airing on cable, satellite and broadcast channels across South Dakota through Election Day. And those television spots are also being supplemented with some out-of-state campaign support from notable national figures like former Hawaii Congresswoman and 2020  presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Youngkin is ascending within the GOP political scene, and Gabbard recently defected from the Democratic Party, saying the progressive party has become too extreme.

Both will rally for Noem on Wednesday in Sioux Falls. Gabbard will also stump with Noem in Rapid City that morning.

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Meanwhile, Noem’s opponent in the race – Democratic nominee and state House minority leader Jamie Smith – is also hitting the airwaves with a pair of campaign ads in the final days of the election cycle. The Jamie Smith for Governor campaign will embark on a statewide RV tour as well, with intentions of making stops in every corner of South Dakota. The tour will culminate with a final rally in Sioux Falls on Monday, Nov. 7.