Sitting in front of a camera for a highly produced, well-lit vertical video with the kind of caption made to watch on mute while you’re scrolling through social media, a patient for SmileTexas near Houston tells viewers about traveling from out of state to fix her teeth.
South Dakota
Promo video for Texas dental practice poses new ethics issue for Noem
“I love my new family at Smile Texas! The video says it all, and I am so grateful for their help fixing my smile for me,” reads a caption for the video post, shared on several social media platforms.
It could have been a testimonial from any one of SmileTexas’s patients, who include a celebrity chef, influencers, pageant contestants, a professional athlete and a reality star, all of whom have also appeared in promotional content for the practice.
But the patient in the latest testimonial was Kristi L. Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota, who is considered a potential running mate for former president Donald Trump in 2024.
“This gracious leading lady @govkristinoem just received an executive, feminine, beautiful smile here at Smile Texas,” Bret Davis, the dentist who worked on Noem, wrote in an Instagram post. “I’ll be posting later how we achieved this smile on this gracious, calm, and courageous patriot!”
The video, posted on the governor’s social media accounts this past week, has led to a firestorm of criticism, a lawsuit and a potential ethics inquiry questioning whether she participated in an undisclosed advertisement or used state resources.
Two spokespeople for Noem did not respond to requests for comment.
The practice, more than 1,000 miles from the South Dakota governor’s mansion in Pierre, regularly works with influencer types, many of whom travel from out of state to fix their smile.
It focuses on cosmetic dentistry and dental implants, and boasts an in-house pianist and a dedicated filming room. It also promotes travel to the practice, listing local lodging and taxi services on its website.
Federal Election Commission data shows that two dentists pictured with Noem, including Davis, have donated in support of Republican political candidates, including Trump, over the years.
Noem’s promotion of medical tourism, without properly disclosing it in the ad’s caption or video, is the target of a recent lawsuit from the nonprofit Travelers United. It’s not clear whether Noem was compensated in any way for the services she received in Texas.
Lauren Wolfe, counsel for Travelers United, which has pursued other cases related to travel influencers, said that if the governor “was able to prove with basic receipt … that she paid full price for these services, we would be happy to drop the case.”
Alexandra Roberts, professor at Northeastern University School of Law, noted that the Federal Trade Commission has been aggressively messaging “about the requirement to disclose any kind of material benefit” for social media influencers.
“They’ve got everything about what kind of hashtags [to use] and where the hashtags go,” she said. “And they’ve sent out a ton of warning letters, both to influencers and to the companies that are paying the influencers.”
There’s also an effort brewing in the South Dakota Capitol to launch an inquiry into the governor’s trip.
South Dakota state Sen. Reynold Nesiba (D) asked the Republican co-chairs of the legislature’s Government Operations & Audit Committee to put the issue on the next meeting agenda in July.
Nesiba said he has questions about whether public funds were used for her trip to Texas. He also questioned whether the trip was an attempt to appeal to Trump, who has publicly praised allies whose appearance is straight out of “central casting.”
“It just seems like such a well-timed political stunt to raise your national profile and to get the former president’s attention. The whole thing seems and feels like a political move to try to increase her odds of getting the nomination to be the vice president of the United States,” Nesiba said.
But there’s been mixed interest among members of the committee to pursue the issue, he said.
This isn’t the first time the committee has been asked to look into Noem’s behavior in office.
The committee was responsible for a legislative report finding that Noem’s daughter received preferential treatment when she applied for her real estate appraiser’s license in 2020.
Nesiba said that in addition to raising questions about the use of public funds, the governor’s trip to Texas for dental work stands in contrast to her efforts to bring workers to South Dakota — including starring in recurring ads where she fills in for various vacant jobs to show that they’re hiring in the state.
“One of the jobs that she’s dressed up as is a dental hygienist, telling people to come to South Dakota because we have these dental openings. And then here she is going to Texas to do some dental work. I just found it just disappointing,” Nesiba said, adding that dentists in South Dakota have expressed anger over Noem’s Texas video.
Since posting the SmileTexas video, the governor has posted two iPhone-style videos to her social media accounts promoting businesses in South Dakota.
At an orthotics store in Rapid City, with a bag in hand and employees on each side, the governor says the store built her new shoe inserts, adding: “I’m going to be perfect. I’m going to be like Bionic Woman now.”
Posing with coffee shop owners in Spearfish, Noem says: “This coffee shop is amazing. … You will enjoy it. They love America.”
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Feb. 26, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from Feb. 26 drawing
03-14-22-50-57, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
State Sen. Sydney Davis, R-Burbank, speaks in the South Dakota Senate at the Capitol in Pierre on Feb. 10, 2026. Davis is sponsoring a bill that would ban the use of SNAP benefits for soda purchases. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)
By: John Hult
PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – The question of whether South Dakota moves to ban the use of government food assistance for sugary drinks is in the hands of Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden, who has signaled his opposition to the bill all through the 2026 legislative session.
The state Senate voted 27-6 on Wednesday to endorse House Bill 1056, after the House passed it earlier 58-11. Assuming the same levels of support, both margins are wide enough to overcome a Rhoden veto, should he choose to issue one.
The bill directs the Department of Social Services to ask for a federal waiver to allow the state to bar the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for the purchase of soft drinks.
SNAP is a federal program, managed by the state, through which people with low incomes get a monthly allowance for food through a debit-like card that can be used at most stores to buy nearly any consumable grocery item save alcohol and prepared foods.
Representatives from Rhoden’s office testified against the bill in House and Senate committees, arguing that the administrative costs would be too high. A fiscal note attached to the bill between its passage in the House and its appearance on the Senate’s Wednesday calendar estimated that implementation would cost $310,000 through the first two years. Those costs would come from hiring an extra employee and contracting for software to track sales, file reports and help retailers determine which drinks are banned.
Backers see long-term savings to the state, though. A high percentage of SNAP recipients are also on Medicaid, a taxpayer-funded health insurance program open to disabled and income-eligible people.
On Wednesday, Burbank Republican Sen. Sydney Davis noted the connection between excess soda consumption and health problems like obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. Medicaid dental costs alone add up $51 million a year, she said.
Mitchell Republican Sen. Paul Miskimins, a retired dentist, told the body he once counted 32 cavities and seven abscesses in the mouths of 2-year-old twin boys who were covered by Medicaid.
He attributed the tooth decay to sugary beverages.
“I don’t know if that first visit was more traumatic on the boys or on my dental staff and myself,” said Miskimins.
Tamara Grove, R-Lower Brule, was the lone senator to speak in opposition on the Senate floor. She argued that some stores might stop accepting SNAP payments due to the administrative burden of sorting barred products from the rest of their inventories, and pointed out that the bill wouldn’t do a thing to prevent SNAP recipients from loading up on sugary foods like ice cream or snack cakes.
“It gives this look as if there’s going to be this big, huge change in the way that people buy products, but it’s really not going to be,” Grove said.
Some surrounding states, including Nebraska, have moved to ask for a waiver to ban soda sales through SNAP. Such waivers are now an option, as President Donald Trump’s administration is willing to consider granting them. Former President Joe Biden’s administration was not.
Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, the South Dakota bill’s prime sponsor, got a letter last week from Trump administration officials expressing support for her proposal.
In response, Rhoden spokeswoman Josie Harms told South Dakota Searchlight that the governor “has always been supportive of the Trump Administration’s efforts to Make America Healthy Again,” using a reference to the policy agenda branding used by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“We have met directly with his Administration on this issue, and at no point has our opposition been directed at President Trump or his efforts to reform SNAP,” Harms said. “Our focus has always been on ensuring the implementation of SNAP reform works effectively for our state.”
Harms said Wednesday that Rhoden would answer questions about the bill at a Thursday press conference.
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