Op-ed: Vote out South Dakota Governor Noem’s 'Kristi Tax' to restore South Dakota values

Guest column by Rep. Jamie Smith

A true statement that can be said about South Dakotans is that we love our neighbors, and we love our freedom. That has certainly been the common denominator for the folks I’ve met in all of South Dakota’s 66 counties during this campaign. South Dakotans are the kind of people who help shovel our neighbor’s driveway and lend a hand if someone is having car troubles. We care about each other. 

But despite our good-hearted nature, we also don’t appreciate the unbecoming behavior of others, especially when we end up paying a price for it. In times when inflation is hitting families, farmers and businesses across the state, the last thing we need is a governor who adds a financial strain. But unfortunately, South Dakotans are burdened with an unforeseen expense: “The Kristi Tax.”

For starters, Kristi Noem spent nearly half a million dollars of our money to overturn the will of the people by suing us over our cannabis vote in 2020. We voted for something, and she used our money to stop it from happening. A governor is supposed to support the people’s will, not use their money to overturn it.

Yet this reckless spending also involves plenty of things we didn’t vote for. The lawsuit surrounding her nepotism scandal involving her daughter cost our state over $200,000. Her failed “Meth. We’re On It.” campaign cost the state $449,000. Kristi’s publicity stunt in a southern border state cost us nearly $500,000 as well.

But it doesn’t stop there. She’s spent $130,000 for a personal TV studio, $60,000 on lavish upgrades for the governor’s mansion, $400,000 for a new fence at the governor’s mansion, $1,350,315 over fireworks and likely hundreds of thousands on personal travel using our state plane (that we know of). 

VIEWPOINT: Jamie Smith is too extreme for common sense South Dakota

When is enough, enough? South Dakotans are tired of paying The Kristi Tax because, quite frankly, they never signed up for it. In times where issues like housing, childcare, nursing home care and economic development couldn’t be more important, South Dakota deserves a governor who is in it for them, not the other way around. They deserve a governor who doesn’t take advantage of them during difficult times or expects a bailout from them every time she engages in unbecoming behavior.

 I’m Jamie Smith, and I will be a governor who is focused on this great state. I will work together with people of different views than mine, value the input of the people I serve and never take their sacred trust for granted. We can do better. It’s time to vote against this Kristi Tax once and for all.

Jamie Smith of Sioux Falls represents District 15 in the state House of Representatives. He is the Democratic candidate for South Dakota governor.