South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem received a flamethrower for Christmas from her staff, and photos online show her frantically burning a pile of trash.
Now, she’s tried to do the political equivalent by defaming her mouthpiece — Ian Fury has the perfect name — to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
It’s a fight that involves two people with such hideous ambitions that you can only hope it ends with both losing. But Noem was so extreme that somehow she made DeSantis look less horrible.
It started when National rating reporter Nate Hochman has reached out to Fury for comment on a story he’s writing about “the overwhelming influence of transgender lobbying in South Dakota.” The story comes in time as the state’s largest employer, Sanford Health, will host a “Gender Identity Summit” in Sioux Falls on Friday to “consider the needs of transgender patients.” in healthcare.”
Via hochman’s accountFury responded with a lengthy statement rejecting “any suggestion that Governor Noem was too intimate with’ the major lobbying groups that helped destroy the mass of anti-sexist bills in the state.
Fury then sent a second email, resorting to a diversion.
“Governor Noem is the only Governor in the US to go on national television to defend Dobbs decided,” Fury wrote in an email to reporters, referring to the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.
“Where is Governor DeSantis?” Fury asked. “Hidden behind the 15 week ban. Does he believe that a 14-week-old infant has no right to life?”
It refers to the fact that this fall, DeSantis signed legislation banning abortions after 15 weeks but did not promise to further restrict the right to terminate a pregnancy.
On the other hand, Noem endorsed the state’s near-total abortion ban. She went beyond even her own conservative state legislature in support of an abortion ban after the first heartbeat was detected.
The abortion issue is a rare moment between the two Republicans.
Both are MAGA members, staunch culture warriors and “parents’ choice” advocates who oppose blockade orders, masks, vaccines, and health measures. other publicity that they see as non-American challenges to the freedoms God has given us.
But Fury, in his message to the journalist, tried to highlight one area where DeSantis might be less to blame than Noem.
Fury declined to comment, other than referring The Daily Beast to a Twitter thread saying that Hochman “has long branded himself an unhealthy bias” against Noem. Fury also accused Hochman on Twitter of “bringing water to Governor DeSantis.”
But the Democratic National Committee is less tight-lipped; like Florida Politics reported, it did well with spitting in a message from its “War Room”.
The DNC notes that both DeSantis and Noem have plans for 2024. DeSantis may not be worried about Noem compromising his chances of taking the presidency, and he did not respond to a request for comment on the contest. argue.
But Noem may be gambling that by tormenting DeSantis, she will increase her chances of being selected as Trump’s running mate. Both will have plenty of opportunities to throw fire. Of course, if one of them wins, the rest of us will be burned.
