Release: Noem Releases Family First Initiative

Pat Powers

Noem Releases Family First Initiative
Mom of 3 commits to a strengthening families and preserving SD values

CASTLEWOOD, S.D. – Kristi Noem today released her Family First Initiative, which aims to strengthen families and preserve South Dakota values.

“My husband, Bryon, and I are blessed with three incredible kids, who are surrounded by aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents that love them and continually invest in their education and upbringing,” said Noem. “Our faith and that strong family unit has helped us get through the tough times, and in many respects, compelled me to leave college after my dad’s death, return to the farm and ranch full-time, and dedicate my life to building on the dreams my parents had for their children. If elected, I’m committed to being a family-first governor, fighting to strengthen the family unit and preserve the values South Dakota has long embraced.”

  • Defend family values from the very beginning. I am pro-life, something my record will always reflect. In Congress, where I earned a 100 percent rating from National Right to Life, I’ve worked to systematically toughen abortion laws. As governor, I want to make sure South Dakota can play a leading role in that effort, a commitment that’s earned the endorsement of the conservative Susan B. Anthony List. If elected, I will:

    • Assign an Unborn Person Advocate within the governor’s office to monitor, report, and recommend legislative and policy changes;

    • Actively pursue all available legislative options to stop abortion and protect the lives of unborn babies;

    • Oppose any efforts to legalize physician-assisted suicide; and

    • Work to proactively defend South Dakota’s pro-life policies, engaging the top legal minds to litigate on behalf of our values, if necessary.

  • Protect religious liberty and traditional marriage.

  • Decrease dependency by making it easier for parents to work. More specifically, I will:

    • Encourage flexibility for parents pursuing new skills at South Dakota tech schools and universities;

    • Help give parents the support needed to choose the child care that fits their family structure;

    • Strengthen work requirements; and

    • Increase child support accountability.

  • Recognize good parenting is a learned skill. I’d like to expand family education programs to better prevent domestic violence and intervene before it occurs in the home. My administration would also encourage high schools to invest in family and consumer science programs, sharing the value of strong family units and building an understanding of the responsibilities that come with a household.

  • Respect parental rights.

  • Support military family readiness programs.

  • Expand residential and family-based drug treatment options.

  • Connect incarcerated moms and dads with parenting education and employment resources.

  • Make strong families a priority in all government activities. Strong families create strong communities. Because of this understanding, I will not raise taxes on families, grow government, or allow federal bureaucrats to tell us how to live. Family must remain the central figure in our public policy.

Read the full plan here.

20 thoughts on “Release: Noem Releases Family First Initiative”

    1. This is a very strong initiative. Strengthening families will be an unexpected, positive consequence of Kristi Noem’s leadership as Governor. It is refreshing to see that a Governor would boldly take a hard stand for so many solid commitments having to do with faith and family. Our state will only become better under Kristi and her team, and it is always a team effort.

  3. What is this Domestic Violence Education plan Kristi wants to force on families? That sounds like something a CNN liberal would propose.

    1. Right, because ignoring Domestic Violence and not looking for ways to strengthen families and project victims of domestic violence is the Conservative Republican thing to do. Get Real!!

      1. Domestic violence is often triggered under the extreme stress of people with incomes at the lower end of the spectrum working harder and harder but falling farther and farther behind financially, which often happens because the private-sector economy is suffocating under the weight of unnecessary, wasteful government spending.

        Like spending on government-run domestic violence education programs, for example.

        Then when a woman cheats on her husband, divorces him, and still somehow wins custody of the children, government can “increase child support accountability” so the man she abandoned has to live hand-to-mouth for 15 years, sending half his salary for her and her new boyfriend(s) to squander on Florida vacations while they do a lousy job raising his kids.

        Things like that really happen. Routinely.

        As if a woman’s incentive to work through marital difficulties hasn’t been weakened enough by the egalitarian modern economy. Should we keep the child support laws on steroids so she has an actual financial incentive to leave? Is that pro-family?

        2. It sounds like a flag needs to be burned in the AG’s parking lot to me. That should remedy the floozy wife/freeloader boyfriend thing. Good luck CJ.

          1. I’m not CJ Abernathey, and I’m not speaking from personal experience, and even if I were, my reasoning would be worthy of consideration.

            There’s this thing going on in American politics where we slap negative stereotypes on large groups of people, and then almost no one in the political arena will speak a word in their defense. Government is essentially saying no punishment is too severe for the “deadbeat” dad who married a “floozy” wife.

            Something has gone terribly wrong when a man’s government-mandated child support is so high that the woman who abandoned him is touring the nation with her boyfriend while her ex-husband can barely afford token birthday gifts for the teenage daughters she left home alone.

            Government coercion always has harmful consequences, and we’re not doing our society any favors when we neglect to weigh those consequences against the supposed benefits.

            1. CJ, It is called personal responsibility. “ex-husband can barely afford token birthday gifts for the teenage daughters she left home alone.” If you stop spending money on pot and other drugs then that is more money for your children.

  5. She is running a great campaign, and it’s better for her to be slightly behind at this point than ahead. Marty is a good candidate but has surrounded himself with people who are demanding he “hit her” and that will cost him 10-15 points soon. A sustained negativity would have been better for him then contrived punches at the end. Hiring Dale Bartscher is the best decision Marty has made but Kristi is still running a better race. She needs to make up some ground west river.

    1. Kristi has 100% name ID. Voters know everything she wants them to know about her. She has had high profile races.

      Marty has never had a race before that required millions of $$ to be spent. He might have high name ID now but its surface level name ID. We don’t know a lot about him as a person.

      The fact that this is a toss up race is baffling to many who support Kristi.

      Marty is showing up to small towns and shaking hands. Kristi isn’t. She is all about TV.

      In the end marty might pull this off and it will be one of the all time upsets in SD politics.

  6. Anonymous 6:54:

    1) KN was way ahead when this race started. Not sure how you can assert she has run a great campaign when she gave up the lead. That said, I thought the size of the lead she had was not sustainable. What was important was she not lose it.

    2) It is not good if she is behind (if she is as you suggest). Momentum is not something which is reversed, especially this late in the election. More importantly, early voting has started and every day she is behind (if she is) makes the mountain on election day even higher.

    3) I agree about going negative. The first candidate who pulls that trigger will lose and possibly lose big. The winner has to make impressions FOR them and not against the other.

    Anonymous 7:54: I totally agree with you on touching flesh. If we could measure who touches the most flesh in the next 3 weeks, we’d know who will win this race. TV and the like will not win this race. It will be shaking hands as that moves people who think well of both and are undecided.

  7. 1) Kristi doesn’t seem to like spending any more time with voters than she absolutely has to.

    2) Marty and his team understand the value of retail politics.

  8. I’m confused betwix the ‘go it alone’, ‘no more guvmint’ Noem and the ‘new drug program’, ‘adding an unborn person advocate’ staffer Noem.

    I don’t have an issue with the plan, but geez make up your mind and stop the poll said I should whiplash.

    1. Noem will say whatever she has to in order to get elected.

      She’s all in!

  9. The problem with campaigns is that candidates get carried away with the promises. Adding this staffer or that staffer… or this program… or specific Departments… or supporting certain legislation. Historically its been a tactic to gain support of certain groups like tourism industry and veterans in the past, and this year the tactics and promises seem to be aimed more toward picking up pro-life and gun voters. Both candidates have gone out of their way to try to outdo each other on the pro-life and pro-gun front.

    Marty’s message against DC is clearly about Kristi. Blaming everything on DC may work for another 3 weeks, but then you’ll need to govern and then I would prefer someone who takes responsibility with a ‘buck stops here’ attitude.

    Still not sure who wins this one. I think it’s a tight race still. Kristi’s ads are quite good. Marty’s ground game appears to be excellent. Someone will launch a bomb — who’s it going to be?

  10. I am glad I do not have to make a decision in this one. I am pretty sure either candidate is a good choice. I like that Kristi Noem is telling us what she would do as governor rather than what is wrong with Marty Jackley. It’ll be interesting to see how this goes down. Going negative will indicate an air of desperation.

  11. I’m happy to help Kristi make her family a first priority for her by voting against her in the primary.

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