IDEOLOGIES HAVE ORTHODOXIES:

State Rep. Fred Deutsch, a chiropractor and one of the more conservative members of the Republican-dominated legislature, said the governor didn't have her eyes on the ball.

"My take only: She got into this situation because it was a historic year with COVID, marijuana, money and more," Deutsch told The Daily Beast. He added that her team should have gotten involved early with the bill, but didn't. "That led to her tweet that she looked forward to signing the bill even though she apparently hadn't yet read it," he said.

Noem, a first-term Republican who served four terms in Congress, has toured the country since 2019, appearing at dinners and other events to curry favor with Republicans and influential conservatives. She caught the eye of former President Trump, hosting him for a July 3 fireworks show and political rally at Mount Rushmore, handing him a mini-Rushmore before the event that had added Trump's face to Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

Trump recently listed her as a future GOP leader. And Noem has made no secret of her interests in that kind of higher profile, appearing at events with former Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski in what's seen as preparation for a national run.

She rose to prominence on the right after refusing to impose strict coronavirus restrictions, like mask mandates or business closures, in her state. In October, as the state's COVID death spiraled up, she insisted she had made the right choices.

"As you all might imagine, these last seven months have been quite lonely at times," Noem said during a special legislative session. "But earlier this week, one very prominent national reporter sent me a note that said, 'Governor, if you hadn't stood against lockdowns, we'd have no proof of just how useless they really have been.'"

It's a position she has stuck with throughout the pandemic, despite clear evidence that South Dakota has been one of the worst states for coronavirus.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 27, Noem suggested there was a political calculation behind the pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 570,000 Americans and more than 1,900 South Dakotans, the eighth highest death rate per capita of any state in the country.

"The question of why America needs conservatives can be answered by just mentioning one single year, and that year is 2020," she said in a speech that drew cheers and calls for her to run for the White House. "Everybody knows that almost overnight we went from a roaring economy to a tragic, nationwide shutdown."

Noem did urge schools to close and sports to stop in March 2020 as the pandemic spread across the state. When the Smithfield meatpacking plant in Sioux Falls was deemed a coronavirus hotspot, Noem pressured it to close for a cleaning and to install safety equipment.

But she welcomed thousands of bikers for the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally in August and appeared at events across the state and nation, often on horseback and seldom with a mask.

She basked in the attention, landing a prominent speaking slot at the 2020 Republican National Convention. That same night, Fox News aired a commercial promoting South Dakota. It featured bison, massive monuments, and Kristi Noem.

"South Dakota, the land of the free," she said.

The ad wasn't free, however. South Dakota spent $819,000 on it.

Noem's national profile was rising and Republicans in many states invited her to attend events, campaign for their candidates and speak at rallies. She also made appearances with Trump and supported him during and after the election.

But that was all before the transgender bill veto.

The conservative website The Federalist, which dubbed Noem a "rockstar" as recently as January, has now become a hub for Noem criticism. Federalist writers have accused Noem of ruining her political "star power" and "walking into a political buzz saw" with the veto.

Townhall columnist Kurt Schlichter called the veto an "utterly insane unforced error" in a Wednesday column, claiming that he got "a weird vibe" from Noem after meeting her at a conservative conference. Schlichter compared Noem to former Alaska governor and failed vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

"She is the governor of a small state we don't think about much--hey, haven't we been down this road before?" Schlicter wrote.

Noem has also been slammed on right-wing cable news networks. On March 23, One America News host Stephanie Hamill claimed Noem's critics were saying she had "caved to the woke mob" by vetoing the bill.

Two conservative groups who back the bill, the Alliance Defending Freedom and the American Principles Project, sharply criticized Noem and suggested they would support a primary challenge.

"She was considered a shining star in the GOP with a bright future. No more," Michael Farris of the Alliance Defending Freedom posted on Facebook. "We don't need leaders who lack the courage to stand up to the corporate bullies who want to turn our country into an amoral wasteland filled with compliant consumers."

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