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Noem's Cabinet appointment will make a plain-spoken rancher South Dakota's new governor

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Noem's Cabinet appointment will make a plain-spoken rancher South Dakota's new governor
News

News

Noem's Cabinet appointment will make a plain-spoken rancher South Dakota's new governor

2024-11-14 06:37 Last Updated At:06:40

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem built a national profile during the COVID-19 pandemic, had fellow Republicans buzzing about her future, and published two political memoirs in three years. Lawmakers describe the man set to replace her as a friendly, plain-spoken rancher and specialty welder whom they expect to focus more on issues within the state.

Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden's biggest — and fleeting — brush with national fame came in 2017 when he triggered a panic alarm during a hearing to test how quickly police would arrive to support his argument that people should be allowed to carry guns in the Capitol.

He's now receiving bipartisan praise as a South Dakota-focused conservative well-versed in how the state's Republican-dominated Legislature works.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday he would nominate Noem, 52, as the next U.S. homeland security secretary. If the Senate confirms Noem, Rhoden would automatically become governor. It's unclear how quickly that could happen.

Noem's first memoir says Rhoden took her under his wing in 2006 when she won a seat in the South Dakota House where he was serving as majority leader. He served in the Legislature for 16 years. Noem described Rhoden as “direct and honest” when she named him to her ticket for governor in 2018.

Others describe the 65-year-old, operates a custom welding business producing cattle brands, as a true western South Dakota rancher. In his photo on the governor's office website, he wears a leather jacket and cowboy hat.

“He’s legitimately legit," said Republican state Rep. Greg Jamison, of Sioux Falls, one of five House majority whips, calling Rhoden "a real reflection on South Dakota and how anybody from across the country would perceive our state.”

Rhoden pledged Wednesday to keep working closely with Noem through the expected transition but neither of them provided details. Noem posted on social media that she is honored and humbled by Trump's appointment, and Rhoden predicted that she will be an excellent homeland security secretary.

“I have worked with Gov. Noem for decades, first as a legislator and for the last six years as her lieutenant governor,” he said in a statement. “I have seen her leadership transform this state to advance freedom and opportunity.”

Rhoden is considered a possible Republican candidate for governor in 2026, when Noem would have been term-limited. U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and state Attorney General Marty Jackley also are possible contenders.

State lawmakers do not expect big policy shifts once Rhoden takes office: Like Noem, he embodies the socially conservative, small-government Republican common in Plains and western states. But they don’t expect him to spend any time focusing on national politics like his predecessor.

Rhoden has always been more visible in the state capital of Pierre, Jamison said.

“Larry is often seen in the hallways around the Capitol and at different events. He attends a lot of them. I see him all the time socializing with everybody. Gov. Noem was a little more out of sight in that fashion,” he said.

“This is a guy who was on the school board and then ran for the Legislature and did that for a long time and rose up through the ranks,” Jamison said.

Retiring state Sen. Lee Schoenbeck, the top GOP leader in the Senate, said Rhoden is a good problem solver but more importantly he’s a “South Dakota kid.”

“His interests will all be within the (state’s) 605 area code,” Schoenbeck said.

Term-limited House Speaker Hugh Bartels agreed Rhoden would offer a distinct type of leadership.

"Oh yeah. I think there will be differences in style,” Bartels said. "They’re just different people.”

Before Noem, perhaps the two best-known political figures from South Dakota were Democrats: former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, the party's 1972 presidential nominee, and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. On Wednesday, Republican senators elected John Thune, who unseated Daschle in 2004, as the next majority leader.

South Dakota hasn't elected a Democratic governor in 45 years, and more than 90% of the 35 state senators and 70 state House members will be Republicans after this year's elections.

The dominance of GOP conservatives hasn't always meant harmony. Some harder-right Republicans have fought with Noem and other more establishment Republicans over issues such as cutting taxes, COVID-19 vaccine exemptions, transgender athletes, commercial surrogacy, and landowners' rights.

Lawmakers allied with the Freedom Caucus, which formed in 2022 to push the Legislature and Noem to the right, will lead both chambers come January.

Michael Card, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Dakota, said “the Freedom Caucus probably would have wanted a pound of flesh,” if Noem had not been nominated for a Cabinet position. He warned that "Mr. Rhoden may face fights simply of guilt by association.”

But lawmakers generally praised Rhoden for his ability to build alliances and work across the aisle.

Republican state Rep. Tony Venhuizen, of Sioux Falls, said building relationships has always been Rhoden's “real strength.”

Incoming House Minority Leader Erin Healy, a Sioux Falls Democrat, welcomed the transition.

“Lieutenant-Governor Rhoden has demonstrated a willingness to collaborate," Healy said. “So I’m very optimistic that as governor he will foster an open, transparent dialogue with the Legislature.”

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas, and Karnowski, from Minneapolis. Associated Press writer Stephen Groves in Washington, D.C., contributed.

FILE - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem delivers her budget address for the fiscal year 2024 on Dec. 6, 2022, in the House Chambers at the State Capitol in Pierre, S.D. Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden listens at right. (Matt Gade/Rapid City Journal via AP, File)

FILE - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem delivers her budget address for the fiscal year 2024 on Dec. 6, 2022, in the House Chambers at the State Capitol in Pierre, S.D. Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden listens at right. (Matt Gade/Rapid City Journal via AP, File)

FILE - Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden holds his granddaughter while accepting re-election to his position during an election night campaign event, Nov. 8, 2022, in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Erin Woodiel/The Argus Leader via AP, File)

FILE - Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden holds his granddaughter while accepting re-election to his position during an election night campaign event, Nov. 8, 2022, in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Erin Woodiel/The Argus Leader via AP, File)

TOKYO (AP) — Embattled Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who survived as leader after a major election loss by his governing coalition, promised Friday to work closely with the long-ignored opposition that is now the only way his minority government can stay in power.

Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito together lost a majority in the 465-seat lower house, the more powerful of Japan’s two-house parliament, in the Oct. 27 elections. He needs support from opposition parties to keep his fragile government alive. The election loss was blamed on voter anger over his party’s financial misconduct, and he is trying to quickly tackle reforms.

“We will thoroughly listen to other parties and form a consensus as broadly as possible as we sincerely and humbly seek to protect the safety and security of the people,” Ishiba said Friday in his first policy speech since his reappointment as prime minister after the election.

At home, he faces tough negotiations with the opposition. The LDP coalition has long forced through its favored legislation by taking advantage of its dominance in parliament, a routine set under ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and criticized as autocratic.

Without a majority, Ishiba will struggle in coming months to gain consent from the opposition on the budget and other legislation, raising worry about a political deadlock. But experts say the situation could also lead to more public debate and transparency in the policy-making process.

Ishiba, known as a critic of the late Abe, may find that his minority government offers a chance to restore a more democratic way of deciding policies.

“I believe the way democracy should be is for each party to reflect diverse voices of the people and discuss policies sincerely and achieve better results," Ishiba said.

Ishiba's LDP has been cooperating closely with a smaller rising party, the conservative Democratic Party for the People, whose seats quadrupled to 28 in the October election under its popular leader, Yuichiro Tamaki. His proposal for raising the basic tax-free income allowance and increasing take-home wages has garnered support from low-income and younger voters. Ishiba's coalition has been negotiating toward achieving the proposals.

Ishiba said Friday he hopes to have “candid discussions” with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump when he takes office in January to further elevate the Japan-U.S. alliance as “the cornerstone of Japan’s diplomatic and security policies.” But he wants the relationship to be more equal.

He is expected to face tough demands from Trump that Tokyo pay more for the 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan under a bilateral security pact.

Ishiba said he will propose to the United States the joint use of American bases and military facilities with Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. He will also seek to “resolve problems stemming from the American troop presence,” he said. Ishiba has advocated a revision to the Status of Forces Agreement that gives the United States the right to investigate accidents and crimes that occur on Japanese soil. It has been criticized by many as unequal.

He reiterated the importance of pursuing a significant buildup of Japan’s defense power to deal with growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea, while cooperating with the United States and other like-minded partners.

Ishiba also pledged to revitalize Japan’s economy, especially in suburban areas, to promote growth led by an increase in wages and investment, while building resilience to natural disasters — issues less likely to be opposed by the opposition. He recently began preparations for a long-pursued disaster ministry, planned for launch by March 2027.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, right, gestures before delivering his policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, right, gestures before delivering his policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba prepares to deliver his policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba prepares to deliver his policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

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