This article will answer every question you have about Kristi Noem. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about her.
- What does Kristi do for a living?
- Who are Kristi’s parents and siblings?
- What are Kristi’s interests and hobbies?
- Is Kristi married or does she have a girlfriend/boyfriend?
- Does Kristi have any children?
- Where is Kristi now?
- How tall is Kristi?
- How much money does Kristi earn?
- What is Kristi’s net worth?
N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.
Who is Kristi Noem?
Kristi Lynn Noem Arnold is a prominent politician serving as the 33rd governor of South Dakota since 2019. Being a member of the Republican Party, from 2011 to 2019 she was the U.S. representative for South Dakota’s at-large congressional district and from 2007 to 2011 she was a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives for the 6th district. In 2018, she was elected governor and was South Dakota’s first female governor. During the 2018 election, she was endorsed by then-president Donald Trump.
How Old Is Kristi Noem?
She is 51 years old as of November 2022, having been born on November 30, 1971, in Watertown, South Dakota, U.S. Kristi shares her birthdate with celebrities such as; Jorge Garay, Emily Skinner, Mychaelade, Ian Hecox, and many more.
Kristi Noem Family
Who are Kristi Noem’s Parents?
She was born to Ron Arnold (Father) and Corrine Arnold (Mother).
Does Kristi Noem have Siblings?
She has two sisters by name of Kassidy and Cindy.
Kristi Noem Education
She received her high school education at Hamlin High School where she graduated in 1990. After graduating from high school, she attended Northern State University from 1990 to 1994 but left college early in order to run her family farm after her father’s death. Subsequently, she went on and took classes at the Watertown campus of Mount Marty College and at South Dakota State University and online classes at The University of South Dakota. In 2012, she earned a B.A. in political science from South Dakota State University.
Kristi Noem Marital Status
She is married to the love of her life Bryon Noem. They married in 1992, in Watertown, South Dakota.
Kristi Noem Kids
She and her husband Bryon have three kids. Two daughters by the name of Kassidy Noem and Kennedy Noem. And a son by the name of Booker Noem.
Kristi Noem Career
A Career at the South Dakota House of Representatives
She won a seat as a Republican in the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2006. There, she represented the 6th district (comprising parts of Beadle, Clark, Codington, Hamlin, and Kingsbury counties). That same year, she won with 39% of the vote whereas in 2008 she was reelected with 41%. She served in the position for four years from 2007 to 2010 and was an assistant majority leader during her second term. Moreover, in her tenure, she was the prime sponsor of 11 bills that became law, including several property tax reforms and two bills to increase gun rights in South Dakota. In 2009, she served as vice chair of the Agriculture Land Assessment Advisory Task Force.
A Career in the U.S. House of Representatives
Election (2010)
She ran for South Dakota’s at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. She then won the Republican primary with a plurality of 42% of the vote against South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson and State Representative Blake Curd. Then her primary opponents endorsed her in the general election. Her opponent in the general election was incumbent Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. During the 2010 election cycle, she outraised Herseth Sandlin, by $2.4 million to $2.1 million. And went on to defeat Herseth Sandlin, 48 % to 46%.
A Career in the 2012 Elections
Kristi went on to be reelected to a second term, This time around defeating Democrat Matthew Varilek, 57-43%.
A Career in the 2014 Elections
For a third term, she was reelected and defeated Democrat Corinna Robinson, 67-33%.
A Career in the 2016 Elections
Kristi was then reelected for a fourth term, defeating Democrat Paula Hawks, 64-36%.
Tenure
Kristi was elected to the House Republican leadership in the 2011 House Republican 87-member freshman class, thus making her the second woman member of the House GOP leadership. After being elected to congress, she continued her education through online courses. She announced on March 8, 2011, the formation of a leadership political action committee, KRISTI PAC. In the first quarter of 2011, she was among the top freshman Republicans in PAC fundraising, raising $169,000 from PACs.
Energy and Environment
She has said that the U.S. needs an “all-of-the-above energy approach” that includes renewable like wind and ethanol while still realizing the need for a “balanced energy mix”. Moreover, she supported the Keystone XL Pipeline and supports offshore oil drilling. In 2011, she sponsored a measure to block Environmental Protection Agency funding for tighter air pollution standards for coarse particulates.
Foreign Affairs
Kristi served on the House Armed Services Committee from 2013 to 2015 where she worked on the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act. In March 2011, she was critical of President Obama’s approach to the NATO-led military intervention in the 2011 Libyan civil war. This was to call on him to provide more information about the U.S.’s role in the conflict and characterize his statements as vague and ambiguous.
Taxes
In 2017, she was on the conference committee that negotiated the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which she touted as giving the average South Dakota family a $1,200 tax cut. The following year, she was reported to have “pitched the idea of members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus to attach her online sales tax bill to the government funding package as part of an omnibus. Also, she called the budget deficit one of the most important issues facing Congress. In 2011, she indicated that she would vote to raise the federal debt ceiling, but only if “tied to budget reforms that change the way we spend our dollars and how Washington, D.C. does business.
A Career as Governor of South Dakota
A Career in the Elections (2018)
She announced on November 14, 2016, that she would run for governor of South Dakota in 2018 rather than seek reelection to Congress. In the June 5 Re[ulbican primary, she defeated South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, 56 to 44%. And in the general election, she defeated the Democratic nominee, 51.0 to 47.6%.
A Career in the 2022 Elections
She announced on November 12, 2021, that she was running for reelection as governor. State Representative Steven Haugaard announced on November 17, 2021, that he was running for governor against Kristi. Also, House Democratic Minority Leader Janie Smith announced on February 1, 2022, that he was seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.
Tenure
On January 5, 2019, Kristi was sworn in as governor of South Dakota. Thus becoming the first woman in that office in the state.
Abortion
She is anti-abortion. And thus has supported the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List and has said that she intends to maintain her 100% anti-abortion voting record. She then went on to sign several bills restricting abortion, saying that the bills would “crackdown on abortion providers in South Dakota”. Also, she said “A strong and growing body of medical research provides evidence that unborn babies can feel, think, and recognize sounds in the womb. These are people, they must be given the same basic dignities as anyone else”. Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, South Dakota went on and became one of the first states to enact trigger laws banning abortions.
Anti-Protest Legislation
In response to protests against the Keystone Pipeline, Kristi’s office collaborated with the energy company TransCanada to develop anti-protest legislation signed into law in March 2019 by Kristi. The law created a fund to cover the costs of policing pipeline protests. Another law was also passed to raise revenue for the fund by creating civil penalties for advising, directing, or encouraging participation in rioting.
Conflict of Interest Action to Professionally Benefit Daughter
After Kristi’s 26-year-old daughter Kassidy Peters was denied a real estate appraisal license, Kristi summoned her office, Sherry Bren, in July 2020. Sherry had been a state employee who had directed South Dakota’s Appraiser Certification Program for 30 years. Additional attendees included Sherry, Kristi’s chief of staff Tony Venhuizen, Department of Labor Attorney Amber Mulder, and Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman. The Government Operations and Adult Committee invited Secretary of the Department of Labor Macia Hultman and Sherry Bren in October 2021.
This was to come before the committee to discuss the appraisal program in light of the controversy surrounding the program, Kristi, Kristi’s daughter, and a $280,000 payout for age discrimination. That same year on December 14, Brean testified before the Government Operations and Adult Committee. She said that Peter received an Agreed Disposition around March/April 2020. Republican State Representative John Mills introduced House Resolution 7004 on February 24, 2022. “Addressing the Governor’s unacceptable actions in matters related to the appraiser certification program” against Kristi.
COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic in South Dakota, Kristi at first was responsive to containment strategies. As much as President Donald Trump began to actively resist governmental interventions, Kristi segued to a hands-off approach. She then used the pandemic relief funds in November 2020 to promote tourism during a surge in cases in the state. Also, she did not implement face mask mandates, raised doubts about the efficacy of mask-wearing, encouraged large gatherings without social distancing or mask-wearing, and questioned the advice of public health experts.
Thus she was one of few governors who had not maintained statewide stay-at-home orders as of December 2020. However, to the contrary, on March 13, 2020, she ordered K-12 schools to close and on April 6, she extended that order for the remainder of the school year. On April 6 also, she ordered businesses and local governments to practice social distancing and other CDC guidelines. At the time, one of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks occurred in South Dakota. And The Smithfield Foods production plant in Sioux FDalls had four deaths with nearly 1,300 workers and their family members testing positive.
She announced in February 2020, her opposition to a bill prohibiting schools and universities from requiring students to get vaccinated. The following year in May, she signed an executive order prohibiting government facilities from requiring proof of vaccination to access services, a policy she called “un-American”. In February 2021, she signed a bill limiting civil liability for certain exposures to COVID-19. The bill exempts healthcare providers and other businesses from lawsuits unless COVID-19 exposure was the result of gross negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct.
Guns
Kristi signed a bill into law abolishing South Dakota’s permit requirement to carry a concealed handgun in 2019. In 2022, she sought to build a gun range in Meade County with government funds, but the legislature rejected it.
LGBTQ Rights
She opposes same-sex marriage. And she said in 2015, that she disagreed with Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court’s ruling that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional. She then announced on Twitter on March 8, that she would sign into law H.B. 2171, the Women’s Fairness in Sports Bill, which bans transgender athletes from playing on or against women’s school and college sports teams. However, South Dakota rejected Kristi’s style and formed a veto, 67-2 on March 29. She and her office signaled their support for an anti-trans bill called “An Act to protect fairness in women’s sports in December 2021. That same year, she signed a religious bill into law.
Opposition to Cannabis Legalization
In 2020, she opposed two ballot measures to legalize cannabis for medical and recreational use in South Dakota. Saying ” The fact is, I’ve never met someone who got smarter from smoking pot. It’s not good for our kids. And it’s not going to improve our communities”. Also, she has opposed the cultivation of industrial hemp, vetoing a bill that passed the South Dakota House and Senate in 2019 to legalize hemp cultivation.
2020 Presidential Election
Kristi claimed that the 2020 presidential election was marred by widespread voter fraud, in which Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump; no evidence supports this claim. On December 8, 2020, she tacitly acknowledged the election’s outcome when she referred to a “Biden administration” during her annual state budget address. However, she still refused to accept that the election was “free and fair”. On January 6, 2021m after the U.S. Capitol was attacked by a pro-Trump mob, Kristi spoke out against the violence saying, “We are all entitled to peacefully protest. Violence is not a part of that”.
Staff
She and her fifth chief of staff, Mark Miller on November 19, 2021, to replace the outgoing chief of staff, Aaron Scheibe. Aaron served as chief of staff from May 1 to November 19, 2021.
Trade
She said in February 2019, that the Trump administration’s trade wars with China and the European Union had devastated South Dakota’s economy, particularly the agricultural sector “by far” the state’s largest industry.
Kristi Noem Height and Measurements
Adding up to her well-curved and beautiful body, she stands at a height of 5ft 7inches (1.7m) and a weight of 58kg (128lbs).
Kristi Noem’s Salary and Net Worth
She has a base salary of $116,400 and an estimated net worth of $4 million.
