Spotlight on the SD-AL Congressional District

Republican Winner, Kristi Noem
The South Dakota At-Large Congressional District covers the entire state of South Dakota. When South Dakota was admitted to the Union in 1889, the state was allocated two congressional seats, both of which were filled from the state at-large. Subsequent to the 1910 U.S. Census, a third congressional district was gained and individual districts were established. From 1913 to 1933, South Dakota had three seats. In 1933, one seat was eliminated. In 1983, the second seat was also eliminated, leaving South Dakota with one seat which was again elected at-large. If Presidential voting history is any indication, South Dakota should, by all rights, be represented in the U.S. House by a conservative Republican. In 2000 and 2004, George W. Bush won by 22 points and in 2008, McCain prevailed by 8. Nonetheless, since narrowly winning a Special Election in 2004 for the seat vacated by Bill Janklow (who resigned after an accident resulting in the death of a motorcyclist), Democrat Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, now in her third term, had not been seriously challenged in any of her races. Sandlin’s grandfather is the late Democratic Gov. Ralph E. Herseth. In the June 8 primary, business woman, rancher, and State Rep. Kristi Noem, who entered the race a mere four months ago, received a majority of the vote in a race which also included Secretary of State Chris Nelson and State Rep. Blake Curd. Noem's win marked a milestone in SD politics as it was be the first time SD voters chose between two women to be their U.S. House Representative. In a neck and neck high profile race, Noem edged Herseth Sandlin 48% to 46%.
Kristi Noem
  • Native of South Dakota, born and raised in Hamlin
  • College experience: Northern State, SDSU, Mount Marty
  • Elected Representative to District 6 House of Rep., 2006-serves as Assistant Majority Leader
  • Boards and committees: South Dakota State Farm Service Agency State Committee; Watertown High School Rodeo Committee; Derby Downs Improvement Project Committee; Commission for Agriculture in the 21st Century; Commission for Limited Resource Producers in Washington, DC; South Dakota Soybean Association board for 4 years-one year as treasurer
  • Business experience: Actively farmed with her family for 17 years; owner/operator of a hunting operation; helped manage the family restaurant; currently raises Angus cattle and shows Quarter Horses
  • Awards: 1997 South Dakota Outstanding Young Farmer; 2003 Young Leader award for the state of South Dakota
  • Public Speaker at numerous events through the Midwest on various topics including agriculture, family relations, women in agriculture, and farm safety
  • 4-H leader for 12 years and has served as Hamlin County’s 4-H Leaders Association President 

ISSUES

  • Control the growth of government; cut government spending; preserve the Republican tax cuts for individuals, eliminate the death tax, and cut capital gains to stimulate small business growth; support alternatives to a government takeover of health care – including tax deductibility for individuals, lowering the barriers to interstate insurance policy sales and meaningful tort reform; Second Amendment rights; protecting life; federal government’s important role is defending our nation, protecting our interests around the world, finishing the jobs we started; porous borders and unchecked illegal immigration are threats to citizens and legal immigrants alike; individual initiative and free enterprise will bring our economy back; pork and bailouts divert money from private sector job creators into wasteful government programs; in education, protect local control and minimize intrusion from the federal government
"People in South Dakota live and breathe values such as fiscal responsibility, carefully spending less than we make, and wisely giving our children a future and not a burden of debt to live under because we could not discipline ourselves in tough economic times. Our freedoms and rights are important to us. We protect them because we value them. The federal government should not infringe upon these rights and jeopardize our ability to provide for our families by adding excessive regulation and higher taxes. More government is not the solution to our country’s issues. The ingenuity, resourcefulness, and creativity of our people will give us the solutions we seek if we will look to them for guidance and give them the freedom to pursue their dreams."
Kristi Noem for Congress - One Way
The Spotlight On reports are overviews of actual Republican primary winners or top Republican primary contenders. Spotlights should not be interpreted as recommendations to support specific candidates. Before supporting any candidate, do thorough research to confirm that the candidate shares your views on issues you deem most important.