Kristi Noem resigns as South Dakota governor, Rhoden assumes office
Noem tenders resignation after confirmation to Trump cabinet
Minutes after the gavel came down in the U.S Senate chambers Saturday morning confirming South Dakota’s Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary, the first-ever female governor of the Mount Rushmore State resigned.
Her successor to the governor’s mansion, Larry Rhoden, now becomes the 34th governor of the state of South Dakota.
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“In the last six years, I have had the privilege to serve as Governor of South Dakota. It is with a humble heart that President Donald J. Trump has appointed me, and that the United States Senate has confirmed my appointment, to serve our Nation and our President as Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Today, I resign to you the position of Governor of South Dakota,” Noem wrote in a single-page resignation letter to Rhoden, concluding it with well-wishes for her longtime friend and ally.
“As you assume the role of Governor, please remember our state motto: ‘Under God, the People Rule.’ I chose you because I knew that you would approach the role the same way that I did.”
According to sources of The Dakota Scout, a swearing in ceremony for Rhoden is scheduled to take place Monday morning inside the governor’s office at the state Capitol in Pierre.
Rhoden, 65, ascends to the highest office in state government after a lengthy career at the Capitol. First coming to Pierre as a House lawmaker in 2001, he served in both the House and Senate over a two-decade tenure as a legislator before becoming lieutenant governor in 2019.
His service as a state lawmaker was punctuated by a brief hiatus in 2014, when he made an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate, coming up short in a crowded GOP primary to Sen. Mike Rounds.
Rhoden and his wife, Sandy, have four children together.
His move into the governor’s office has been anticipated for months. With Noem’s confirmation vote imminent, the state Senate that he’s presided over as Senate president during his tenure as lieutenant governor gave him a bipartisan send off Friday, with members of the chamber sharing memories of Rhoden as an affable and thoughtful leader. It proved to be his final day running the Senate.
“It has been quite an opportunity to learn the process and see the people who come and go,” Rhoden said. “If someone asks me today “what is the best part of your job?” I tell them it is by far the people I meet.”
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Rhoden is expected to announce his pick for lieutenant governor Tuesday or Wednesday, a nomination that will require confirmation by the state Legislature.
“I look forward to keeping South Dakota strong, safe, and free,” the newly minted governor said in a statement on social media late Saturday morning.
Good riddance!
I pray that Lieutenant Governor Rhoden whole heartedly embraces our South Dakota moto "Under God the People Rule". The people of South Dakota have been denied this privilege for far too long, with the likes of Summit Carbon Solutions trying to take away the will and constitional rights of the people. Foreign backed, for profit, out of state companies, lobbiests, and union workers are not "We the people". I look forward to Mr. Rhoden putting South Dakota voices first, serving the people, and honoring our constitution. May God bless Lieutenant Governor Rhoden as he prepares to lead our great state of South Dakota.