- Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has won a second term as governor of South Dakota.
- Noem faced South Dakota state representative Jamie Smith.
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, who was running for a second term against South Dakota state representative Jamie Smith, has prevailed.
Polls closed at 7 p.m. local time, 8 p.m. EST.
South Dakota's gubernatorial candidates
Noem spent nearly a decade in the US Congress and served two terms as a South Dakota state representative prior to that.
The conservative firebrand has spent the past few years feuding with the Biden administration whenever possible, picking fights on everything from pandemic response efforts to hosting a Fourth of July fireworks display at Mount Rushmore.
In early 2021, Noem slammed GOP governors who complied with Biden administration orders to try and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, effectively shutting down their respective states. "We need leaders with grit," she told attendees at a Conservative Political Action Committee gathering.
Though she remains an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump, Noem said she'd be "shocked" if he tapped her to be his 2024 running mate.
Smith has served three terms in the South Dakota state House of Representatives. He is currently House minority leader.
South Dakota's voting history
The state trends solidly Republican in federal races, backing Trump by 26 points during the 2020 presidential election, and fielding a GOP-only congressional delegation.
Noem got 51% of the vote in 2018, edging out then-South Dakota state Sen. Billie Sutton by less than 3 percentage points. Noem has raised her profile since then, and Trump endorsed her in February 2022.
What the experts say
South Dakota's governor's race was rated as "solid Republican" by The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections, and "safe Republican" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.