Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Kristi Noem

Discover the career path of Kristi Noem, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem is an American politician. She was the 33rd governor of South Dakota, serving from 2019 to 2025. Prior to her governorship, she represented South Dakota's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. She is currently the 8th United States secretary of homeland security.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2006: Elected to South Dakota House of Representatives

In 2006, Kristi Noem won a seat as a Republican in the South Dakota House of Representatives, representing the 6th district, with 39% of the vote and $6330 in direct contributions to her campaign.

2007: Service in South Dakota House begins

In 2007, Kristi Noem began her service in the South Dakota House of Representatives.

2008: Re-election to South Dakota House of Representatives

In 2008, Kristi Noem was re-elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives, receiving 41% of the vote.

2009: Vice Chair of Agriculture Land Assessment Advisory Task Force

In 2009, Kristi Noem served as the vice chair of the Agriculture Land Assessment Advisory Task Force.

2010: Election to U.S. House of Representatives

In 2010, Kristi Noem ran for and won South Dakota's at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Democrat Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

2010: End of service in South Dakota House

In 2010, Kristi Noem's service in the South Dakota House of Representatives ended.

March 8, 2011: Formation of KRISTI PAC

On March 8, 2011, Kristi Noem announced the formation of a leadership political action committee, KRISTI PAC.

March 2011: Elected Liaison to House Republican Leadership

In March 2011, Kristi Noem was elected by the 2011 House Republican freshman class as liaison to the House Republican leadership, becoming the second woman member of the House GOP leadership.

2011: Vote on Federal Debt Ceiling

In 2011, Kristi Noem indicated she would vote to raise the federal debt ceiling if tied to budget reforms and ultimately voted for S. 365, The Budget Control Act of 2011.

2011: Move to Washington D.C.

In 2011, Kristi Noem moved to Washington, D.C. to take her congressional office, while her family continued to live on a ranch near Castlewood, South Dakota.

2012: Graduation from South Dakota State University

In 2012, Kristi Noem obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from South Dakota State University while serving as a U.S. Representative.

2012: Named Regional Director for National Republican Congressional Committee

In 2012, Republican Representative Pete Sessions of Texas named Kristi Noem one of the 12 regional directors for the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2012 election campaign.

2013: Appointment to House Armed Services Committee

From 2013 to 2015, Kristi Noem served on the House Armed Services Committee, working on the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act.

2014: Worked on the National Defense Authorization Act

From 2013 to 2015, Kristi Noem served on the House Armed Services Committee, where she worked on the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act. Her appointment to the committee was seen as a benefit to South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base.

2015: End of term on House Armed Services Committee

From 2013 to 2015, Kristi Noem served on the House Armed Services Committee, where she worked on the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act.

2015: Resemblance to Indiana bill signed by Mike Pence

In 2021, Noem signed a religious refusal bill into law. This bill resembles the 2015 bill signed into law by Indiana Governor Mike Pence.

November 2016: Announced Candidacy for Governor of South Dakota

In November 2016, Kristi Noem announced that she would run for governor of South Dakota in 2018 instead of seeking reelection to Congress.

2017: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Conference Committee

In 2017, Kristi Noem was on the conference committee that negotiated the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which she claimed would give the average South Dakota family a $1,200 tax cut.

2018: Online Sales Tax Bill Pitch

In 2018, Kristi Noem pitched the idea to members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus to attach her online sales tax bill to the government funding package as part of an omnibus.

2018: Elected Governor of South Dakota

In 2018, Kristi Noem was elected Governor of South Dakota after defeating South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley in the Republican primary and Democratic nominee Billie Sutton in the general election.

January 5, 2019: Sworn in as South Dakota Governor

On January 5, 2019, Kristi Noem was sworn in as the Governor of South Dakota, becoming the first woman to hold that office.

February 2019: Trade wars devastated South Dakota's economy

In February 2019, Noem said that the Trump administration's trade wars with China and the European Union had devastated South Dakota's economy, particularly the agricultural sector, "by far" the state's largest industry.

October 1, 2019: Josh Shields became chief of staff

Josh Shields preceded Venhuizen from October 1, 2019, to January 1, 2020.

November 18, 2019: "Meth. We're on It" awareness campaign

On November 18, 2019, Noem released a meth awareness campaign named "Meth. We're on It". The campaign was widely mocked and Noem was criticized for spending $449,000 of public funds while hiring an out-of-state advertising agency from Minnesota to lead the project. She defended the campaign as successful in raising awareness.

2019: End of service in U.S. House of Representatives

In 2019, Kristi Noem concluded her service in the U.S. House of Representatives after being reelected three times.

2019: Abolishing permit requirement for concealed handgun

In 2019, Kristi Noem signed a bill into law abolishing South Dakota's permit requirement to carry a concealed handgun.

2019: Opposition to industrial hemp cultivation

In 2019, Noem opposed the cultivation of industrial hemp, vetoing a bill that passed the South Dakota House and Senate to legalize hemp cultivation. She said, "There is no question in my mind that normalizing hemp, like legalizing medical marijuana, is part of a larger strategy to undermine enforcement of the drug laws and make legalized marijuana inevitable."

January 1, 2020: Josh Shields left chief of staff position

Josh Shields preceded Venhuizen from October 1, 2019, to January 1, 2020.

March 2, 2020: Tony Venhuizen became chief of staff

Tony Venhuizen served as chief of staff from March 2, 2020, to April 23, 2021.

December 8, 2020: Tacit acknowledgement of Biden administration

On December 8, 2020, Noem tacitly acknowledged the outcome of the election when she referred to a "Biden administration" during her annual state budget address, but even after Biden was inaugurated in January, she still refused to accept that the election was "free and fair".

2020: Opposition to cannabis legalization

In 2020, Noem opposed two ballot measures to legalize cannabis for medical use and recreational use in South Dakota, saying, "The fact is, I've never met someone who got smarter from smoking pot. It's not good for our kids. And it's not going to improve our communities." After both measures passed, she and two police officers filed a lawsuit seeking a court decision against the measure legalizing recreational use, Amendment A.

2020: Trump-Pence ticket carried South Dakota

In 2020, the Trump-Pence ticket carried South Dakota, receiving 261,043 votes to 150,471 for the Biden-Harris ticket. Noem was initially designated to be one of Trump's three presidential electors for South Dakota, but later withdrew.

January 6, 2021: Response to U.S. Capitol attack

After the U.S. Capitol was attacked by a pro-Trump mob on January 6, 2021, disrupting the counting of the electoral votes formalizing Biden's victory, Noem spoke out against the violence, saying: "We are all entitled to peacefully protest. Violence is not a part of that." One day after calling for peace and reconciliation in the aftermath of the assault on the Capitol, Noem called the two newly elected Democratic senators from Georgia, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, "communists" in an op-ed for The Federalist, prompting criticism from South Dakota Democrats.

February 8, 2021: Amendment struck down as unconstitutional

On February 8, 2021, circuit court judge Christina Klinger struck down the amendment as unconstitutional.

March 8, 2021: Noem to sign Women's Fairness in Sports Bill

On March 8, 2021, Kristi Noem announced on Twitter that she would sign into law H.B. 1217, the Women's Fairness in Sports Bill, which bans transgender athletes from playing on or against women's school and college sports teams. Some critics of the bill said they were worried it might turn away business and cost the state money.

April 23, 2021: Tony Venhuizen left chief of staff position

Tony Venhuizen served as chief of staff from March 2, 2020, to April 23, 2021.

June 2021: National Guard deployment to Texas border

In June 2021, Kristi Noem announced that she was sending members of the South Dakota National Guard to Texas's border with Mexico, with funding donated by Tennessee billionaire Willis Johnson.

July 1, 2021: Medical marijuana becomes legal

On July 1, 2021, medical marijuana became legal after Noem's efforts to delay the implementation failed.

November 2021: Announced Reelection Campaign for Governor

In November 2021, Kristi Noem announced she was running for reelection as governor of South Dakota.

November 19, 2021: Fifth chief of staff named

On November 19, 2021, Noem named her fifth chief of staff, Mark Miller, to replace outgoing chief of staff Aaron Scheibe. Scheibe served as chief of staff from May 1 to November 19, 2021.

December 2021: Support for "An Act to Protect Fairness in women's sports"

In December 2021, Noem and her office signaled their support for a bill called "An Act to Protect Fairness in women's sports." The bill would require young athletes to join teams that align with their sex assigned at birth.

2021: Noem signed a religious refusal bill into law

In 2021, Noem signed a religious refusal bill into law. The legislation amended the state RFRA to allow business owners to cite religious beliefs as a basis to deny products or services to people based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The legislation, S.B. 124, was criticized by civil rights groups who said it would enable discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, women, and members of minority faiths.

January 21, 2022: "Prayer bill" defeated in House Education Committee

On January 21, 2022, the "prayer bill", HB 1015, which Noem sought to put back in school, was defeated in the House Education Committee by a vote of 9–6. An aide to Noem admitted to the committee that no schools were consulted about the proposal.

2022: RV park proposal in Custer State Park

In 2022, Noem sought to locate a government-paid RV park in Custer State Park. The proposal was met with significant opposition. The House Agricultural and Natural Resources deferred the bill to the 41st day, effectively killing it, by a vote of 9–3.

2022: Revoked legal protections for immigrants

In March 2025, she revoked legal protections for 532,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who had settled in the U.S. since 2022.

September 2023: Noem endorses Trump

In September 2023, Kristi Noem endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries at a rally held for him in Rapid City, South Dakota.

2023: Fees funneled into personal company

In 2023, while serving as South Dakota's governor, Noem funneled $80,000 in fees from a nonprofit, American Resolve Policy Fund, into her personal company. She failed to disclose this payment in her federal ethics filings upon joining DHS, which ethics experts say violates disclosure rules.

February 2024: Noem ties for top VP choice

At the February 2024 CPAC conference, Kristi Noem tied with Vivek Ramaswamy as attendees' top choice for Donald Trump's running mate, with each receiving 15% of the vote in a straw poll. Also that month, Trump acknowledged that Noem was on his shortlist.

March 2024: Noem on Trump's VP shortlist

In March 2024, CNN reported that Kristi Noem was one of four people Donald Trump had shown increased interest in selecting as his running mate.

March 2024: Trump invites Noem to rally

In March 2024, Donald Trump invited Kristi Noem to appear with him at a rally in Vandalia, Ohio.

April 2024: Noem's VP odds diminish

In April 2024, insiders suggested that Kristi Noem's odds of being selected as Donald Trump's running mate had decreased due to her stance on abortion and the revelation in her book that she shot and killed her pet dog and a goat.

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November 12, 2024: Selected as Secretary of Homeland Security

On November 12, 2024, President-elect Trump selected Noem to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security in his second term.

January 17, 2025: Confirmation hearing

On January 17, 2025, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a confirmation hearing for her.

January 25, 2025: Sworn in as Secretary of Homeland Security

After resigning as governor of South Dakota, Noem was sworn in on January 25, 2025, by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as Secretary of Homeland Security, with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry holding the Bible.

February 2025: Divert USCG C-130 Hercules

This began in February 2025, when Noem told the National Command Center to divert a USCG C-130 Hercules from a search and rescue mission for a coast guardsman who had gone overboard. The USCG commander in San Diego sent two C-27 Spartans to Texas for the deportation mission and kept the C-130 on the search.

April 2025: Deportation numbers

The Trump administration has claimed that around 140,000 people had been deported as of April 2025, though some estimates put the number at roughly half that.

June 2025: Failed to disclose past income

In June 2025, ProPublica reported that Noem failed to disclose past income from a dark money group in her federal ethics filings upon joining DHS, which ethics experts say violates disclosure rules.

June 2025: Self-deport or be deported by DHS officials

Sae Joon Park, was told in June 2025 to self-deport or be deported by DHS officials.

August 2025: Unauthorized immigrants left the United States

In August 2025, Noem announced that 1.6 million unauthorized immigrants had left the United States since January of that year.

December 12, 2025: DHS deported a veteran

During a December 12, 2025, committee hearing, U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner asked Noem how many U.S. veterans DHS had deported. She replied that they had not deported any. He then showed, via Zoom, Purple Heart recipient and green-card holder Sae Joon Park, who had been deported under her administration.

2025: Redirection of USCG flights

During Noem's tenure more than 886 USCG flights have been redirected to deportation missions transporting 9,805 migrants in fiscal year 2025. The Coast Guard has called the flights routine and a typical use of multi-mission aircraft.

2025: Deployed resources for search and rescue efforts

Following the 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision, Noem deployed U.S. Coast Guard resources for search and rescue efforts.

January 14, 2026: Articles of impeachment introduced against Noem

On January 14, 2026, Representative Robin Kelly introduced three articles of impeachment against Noem. She alleged Noem had obstructed congressional oversight of ICE facilities; violated public trust regarding arrests and the use of force; and engaged in self-dealing by awarding the contract for a $200 million taxpayer-funded recruitment campaign to the husband of Tricia McLaughlin. As of the filing, 70 representatives had signaled their support for the proceedings.

2026: Incorrect definition of habeas corpus

During a May 2026 Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on the Department of Homeland Security's budget for fiscal year 2026, Noem incorrectly defined habeas corpus as "a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country" in response to a question from Senator Maggie Hassan. In actuality, habeas corpus is the constitutional right for a detainee to request that a court review the lawfulness of their detention, which would require the government to justify the detention.