Former SD 2012 Congressional candidate joining Minnesota Governor on new family leave act tour.

We have to go a ways back for this one. Former 2012 South Dakota Congressional candidate Matt Varilek is in the news in Minnesota and is apparently on the press tour with Governor Walz for Minnesota’s new paid Family and Medical Leave Law:

Minnesota’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave Law, which allows up to 20 weeks of leave and paid benefits, will take effect starting Jan. 1, 2026.

You can take paid leave to care for yourself during serious health conditions, like surgery, injury, a chronic condition, pregnancy,… pic.twitter.com/w5BPl2ZCVC

— FOX 9 (@FOX9) December 2, 2025

In case you’ve forgotten, Matt Varilek was Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s first challenger in defending the Congressional seat in 2012 that she had captured in 2010 from Democrat Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth.

That race was not without controversy, especially when it came to the advertising.   The South Dakota Republican Party produced a video (back before the party fell into disrepair) which caught a lot of attention nationally attacking Varilek, with Varilek himself promoting the piece as it noted differences between the two.

While the video caught heat from the national press, it obviously caught attention in South Dakota, as Noem was able to successfully defend her seat in a race that ended in her favor on a strong 57% – 43% basis.

In the more than a decade since, obviously all concerned have gone on to bigger and better things.

I don’t think I need to regale anyone with Kristi’s unbroken string of victories for Congress and Governor, as well as taking on the challenge of serving as the nation’s Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Varilek currently serves as the Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Employment Development for Minnesota, and had previously been the Chief Operating Officer for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).