An early fundraising report out of the Noem camp informed me this morning that South Dakota’s Republican Congresswoman took in more than $360,000 for the quarter; resulting in raising her cash on hand to $1,040,000 – officially moving the needle past that million cash on hand figure.
But there’s more to it. According to a post election story:
The result, he said, is her campaign finished with $800,000 in remaining cash and “is well-positioned to surpass” $1 million by mid-2015. All of which seems like a message to any possible challengers considering 2016: I am ready and waiting.
Noem anticipated passing the million mark by the second quarter.
And that didn’t happen. She did it in Q1, fully three months ahead of schedule.
That’s a lot of money for a governor’s race!
Yeah, it’s like she’s planning to stay in Congress.
Are you paying attention? She is running for Congress in 2016.
After that, that’s another race.
Let’s pay attention to the ball game we’re playing now, instead of the one in 2018.
Mickelson will box her out.
If she runs for Governor, which she should, she would be a strong favorite. None of these other guys considering it have ever had a tough race, nor have some of them ever run for anything statewide. Noem already beat Herseth Sandlin, and Republican activists love her for that. She’ll be tough to beat.
So she won an election in the biggest Republican wave in 90 years? A year when almost every blue dog democrat across the nation lost and many democrats in swing districts or democrat leaning districts.
Her beating Herseth wasn’t just because she was good on the campaign trail – she had a lot going for her that was out of her control.
I have no doubt Kristi Noem will be a tough candidate for any office she might choose to run for. She would have been formidable running for US Senate against Mike Rounds in 2014.
But lets not get carried away when we are talking about her or any of the others. Kristi has not built an organization for her campaign. She has had cupcake elections since becoming congresswoman. She beat Varilek with 57% and Robinson (did she even campaign?) with 66%. These have been incredibly good times for Republicans in SD and not just because Kristi Noem has been a good candidate. John Thune went unopposed, Mike Rounds cleared 50% in a 4 way race, Daugaard cleared 70% (did he have a campaign? – I couldn’t even tell you – because that’s how little effort it took to beat Wismer), Jackley cleared 80% does anyone know Marty that well?, the list goes on and on….
Noem has not built much of a team over the past for years. She has had a different campaign manager in her 3 elections. Josh Shields was pretty good (though he struggled immensely in the primary with Blake Curd), Tom Erickson didn’t ever really do anything to make her stronger and they let Varilek ding them on attendance all through the campaign without having any idea what to do about it. Andrew Christiansen has little actual campaign experience in SD but he came back from her DC staff to take on the campaign manager title this past cycle against Corinna Robinson. It was more of the same. The one kid they had helping wasn’t on top of his game or build the volunteer base NO they COASTED. They can coast if they want to because those are the opponents they have to run against. But if they want to run for another office against Mark Mickelson, Marty Jackley and maybe Stephanie Herseth or Brendan Johnson than they should be running a more impressive campaign. Volunteers will be split across the board and it will be harder to find people who will help you in a primary. Everyone will help in a general. Just because she is the incumbent and crushing weak candidates doesn’t mean she has a great team around her. And the big question she will have to answer is what exactly improved when you went to Washington DC. That is a big question.
I would say the same for Marty Jackley. What did he do to get 80% of the vote? Did he run an all out campaign or was it the benefit of an incredible year for the GOP? Did he even have a campaign? Has he built a team over the last few years? I doubt it. Same with Noem.
I don’t have anything against any of them and can see a scenario where they all 3 have a chance to win. I hope they all run but in the end I doubt Noem will because of the spotlight she has in DC.
Just don’t go around telling me that she has a John Thune like apparatus because she has been winning in the fluffiest of times for Republicans in SD. Whoever our nominee for governor is will have to work 1000x harder than Daugaard did to beat Knudson, Munsterman and Howie. This will be a serious primary with serious candidates and that’s good for our party.
Who knows maybe Stephanie runs in ’18 too.
What apparatus does John Thune have? I’m as big a Thune fan as anyone but I don’t see some huge campaign team for him? I get the impression that they hired Shields for exactly that reason; they need to build a campaign apparatus because he hasn’t had a race in 11 years. Yeah Thune has a bigger official staff but that’s just by nature of being a Senator instead of a Rep. And as far as 2014, why would Noem waste resources on a bunch of campaign staff? She contributed to the SDGOP GOTV just like Rounds, Daugaard, and Thune, why spend more money than necessary?
I think Noem has the organization that she needs at this point and will be well-positioned to ramp up when necessary
thune absolutely has apparatus. when it’s time you’ll see it all.
I’m sorry did you just ask what apparatus does John Thune have? How about a data base of volunteers and donors that is like no other in SD. How about $10 million on hand – third most in the US Senate. He beat Tom Daschle. If you think Kristi Noem defeating SHS in 2010 at all compares to the 2002 or 2004 races JT was involved in than you don’t know campaigns. 2004 was the most expensive senate race in the nation and Thune won by 4,000 votes against one of the most liberal senators in the nation. Daschle was loved and hated and one of the greatest politicians this state will ever see. No one but John Thune could have defeated Tom Daschle. George W. Bush got 60% of the vote in SD.
Kristi is the one who deferred to Mike Rounds so don’t act as if she can flip a switch and own any race she enters. She is obviously one of the better candidates in SD but I don’t put her head and shoulders above anyone and with her current team I think she might not be as formidable as some would like to believe.
I wasn’t trying to criticize Thune in anyway. I think he’s a rockstar and one of the best politicians this state has ever seen. And I was not trying to compare Noem’s 2010 race to 2002 or 2004. I know how crazy those races were and I would never try to compare Team Noem to Team Thune because no other politician in SD can compare to Thune.
I just get tired of everyone trying to say Noem needs to build a “team” and my contention is that she has a team that suits her current needs and will be well positioned to build a great team when it’s needed. Since the 2010 race she hasn’t needed to have a large apparatus.
You can’t just snap your fingers and build a team. 2002 laid the groundwork for 2004 for Thune.
Kristi hasn’t built a team since it disbanded in 2010. Having one staff member on a campaign during an election doesn’t count as a team.
Noem needs to be primaried in 2016
Settle down Lora.
That’s ms.Hubbel to you!
Why would South Dakotans ever want to make that incompetent individual Rep. Noem a Governor. South Dakotans cannot afford to have two mentally incompletes for Governor in a row. Rep Noem has absolutely no sympathy for the working class in South Dakota and her voting record in D.C. proves that.
She is doing hood work for the special interest and corporate handlers.
Excellent point. Name names and bank accounts for us.
I always prefer that politicians do a little more work.
In 2010 the national debt per person was $42,000 I know this because this was the board game ad Kristi ran for congress in 2010: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTReX0i7Zm8
Today it’s $56,684.38.
Did she change anything? Has she been effective in DC? That is the question she will have to answer.
That’s $14,000 more in 4 years added to each person.
trust me, voting for whoever opposes her won’t help anything. she’s doing her best and will do better with a friendly senate. turning the white house away from the socialists will be another increment. using the executive and legislative branches to finally take ground back from the bureaucracies is where the huge net savings will begin to accrue, and budget cutting will have its effect. we’re not there yet.
reagan’s win took democrats by surprise in 1980, newt’s changing the house in 1994 for the 1995 congress took democrats by surprise. democrats have totally deconstructed every play in the reagan/gingrich playbook since then. republicans have to fight increment by increment just to get back to where a reissue of the contract with america could even do any good. we’re not there but we need noem gaining power all the way for that day. so, i disagree that noem “needs primarying.” it’s a very different battlefield now and you’d all better find out more about it.
Yawn. You are full of yourself.
troll
Just shut up.
Oh no, not troll. Oh my gosh, i’m so devestated. How will i ever go on.
This could be an issue. I’m just seriously disappointed in how she is a Boehner backer on every issue that is a tough vote. Every time she should be against him she’s one of his loyalists.
Basically she is just there and nothing else will change. I haven’t supported her since 2010.
Money wins campaigns and Kristi is squarely in the money. Keep up the good work, and see you real soon at Johnny Half-Shell. I really love having a person who can be bought for as little as 50k. Bats are bad? You bet! Death tax repeal? You bet! Ah, it is almost refreshing. Too bad most South Dakotans do not have the money to get this little filly to run the course they want, but she sure likes it when I show up! Keep sending her back!
Bats are bad? At least know the issue before you criticize her position on it. What a joke
I like John Thune but think Kristi is just out telling us what she thinks we want to hear and then supporting Boehner.
Doesn’t Thune do the same thing with McConnell? I would argue both fight from within the system rather than try to burn it down from the outside.
Also, on this very blog people try to criticize her for the government shutdown and try to paint her as a Boehne lapdog. It’s one or the other. She’s votes against Boehner when it’s been worth the fight but backs Boehner when there’s no other plausible option (as do the vast majority of GOP Reps).