Former political rivals Noem & Jackley endorse each other for upcoming elections

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Two Republicans who once vied against each other in the race for South Dakota governor are now supporting each other in their upcoming election bids.

Gov. Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Marty Jackley issued mutual endorsements Thursday, according to a joint press release from their campaigns.

Noem is running for reelection for a second term as South Dakota governor in the November election. Jackley is seeking to regain his former office against current Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg.

Jackley and Noem ran against each other seeking the Republican nomination for the gubernatorial race in 2018. Noem won the primary with 56% of the vote. She then went on to defeat Democrat Billie Sutton in the general election with 51% of the vote.

Ravnsborg, who is also a Republican, won the Attorney General position vacated by Jackley in the 2018 election. Jackley has worked in private practice since the election, and announced last year plans to run again for Attorney General in 2022.

Despite the confrontations in the 2018 gubernatorial primary, which included Jackley accusing Noem of running negative ads, the two appear to now have a shared political enemy in Ravnsborg.

Ravnsborg is currently facing impeachment hearings in the South Dakota House for his role in a fatal crash in the fall of 2020. Noem has led the charge calling for Ravnsborg to resign. However, Ravnsborg has resisted those calls, and has subsequently had several political skirmishes with the governor - including issuing a memo against an effort by Noem to issue COVID relief funds to state daycares.

“South Dakota needs an Attorney General that believes in the constitution, has the confidence of law enforcement and the legal community, and understands the law. When any of these are lacking, our entire state feels the effect,” Noem said in the statement. “And so today, I am announcing my endorsement of Marty Jackley to be the next Attorney General of South Dakota. I believe that together we can work to uphold the law, keep our communities safe, and do great things for the people of South Dakota.”

Jackley responded to Noem’s endorsement in the statement with glowing words of his own.

“South Dakota is thriving under Governor Noem’s leadership. She has my full support in her campaign for re-election. I am committed to working with Governor Noem and law enforcement to fight crime and to keep our South Dakota families safe. I am honored to receive her support and to offer her mine in this election.”