Why is Kristi Noem still humiliating herself?
The biggest question in politics right now has to be: why is Kristi Noem doing this to herself? Let's do a quick recap. The South Dakota governor is your classic Tea Party-era politician, running for Congress in 2010 and beating an incumbent Democrat. When she arrived in Washington, she was a reliable Republican vote for the anti-Obama House majority — anti-tax, pro-Keystone, anti-abortion, pro-balanced budget, drill baby drill. Her congressional career was pretty unremarkable. She decided after winning reelection in 2016 to run for governor — and won handily despite doing it in a tougher year for Republicans across the board. Winning the governorship elevated Noem's national profile and the quick follow-on of the Covid pandemic raised her even higher.