SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is on a multi-state campaign tour as an official surrogate for President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, her office said Tuesday.
The Republican governor has gained a national following among conservatives for her handling of the coronavirus, eschewing statewide lockdown orders while encouraging large events. She spoke at the Republican National Convention last month, and Fury said her campaign speeches will repeat elements of that message, which centered on pushing for limited government and Trump’s message of law and order.
She will also talk about South Dakota’s approach to the pandemic. But the state has seen the nation’s second-highest number of new cases per capita in the last two weeks, according to the COVID Tracking Project. There were 439 new cases per 100,000 people in South Dakota.
State health officials reported 105 new cases on Tuesday, the same day Noem was speaking at a Women for Trump campaign event in Ohio. The governor has said she is focused on hospitalizations from COVID-19, which stand at 68.
Fury said Minnesota and Oregon are also on her travel schedule, and she made stops in four other states in the lead-up to the convention in August. He said that state funds have not paid for Noem’s travels.
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