South Dakota
South Dakota Gov Noem stumps for Trump in Iowa, says Nikki Haley would be 'mistake' as his running mate
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem traveled to Iowa to stump for former President Trump on Wednesday after saying Nikki Haley would be a “mistake” as Trump’s running mate.
Noem, who endorsed Trump for president in September, was in Sioux City, Iowa, on Wednesday night and told potential Jan. 15 caucus voters that Trump is the best choice for Republicans.
“I’ve known the man for years now,” Noem said onstage, according to KTIV, “worked with him when he was in the White House on tax cuts, worked with him on policies and trade agreements. I served on the Armed Services Committee, worked on foreign policy with him. He helped me build my economy in South Dakota.”
Taking aim at Haley, who served as South Carolina governor and then as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, Noem told an audience, “She said that she was never going to run for president against President Trump, and now she’s running for president against President Trump.”
HALEY PUSHES BACK BUT DOES NOT CATEGORICALLY RULE OUT BEING TRUMP’S RUNNING MATE
Nikki Haley has been floated as a potential vice presidential running mate for former President Trump. (Getty Images)
“She defends him and then she attacks him. She defends you, she attacks you,” Noem said of Haley, according to the Argus Leader. “Whichever way the political winds blow is where she goes, and we cannot trust our country to somebody like that either.”
Touching on foreign policy, Noem added, “We would never have the situation going on like we see in the Middle East right now if he had been in the White House. We would never see what was going on with Russia and Ukraine. I mean, he would be strong, he’d be strong against North Korea.”
Noem’s visit comes before Trump is expected to campaign in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Friday.
The roughly 30-minute speech in Iowa came a day after Noem was asked on-air by Newsmax host Eric Bolling, “If he picked Nikki Haley, would that be a mistake?”
“Yes,” Noem replied. “But if he picked her, I would tell him I disagreed with him. But then I would support the ticket because he’s still the president, and the president still makes the decisions and, you know, I just, I’ve had a lot of disagreements with Nikki Haley over the years. And I just don’t know which Nikki Haley is going to show up every day. She’s a different person, depending on whatever works for her political agenda.”
Reached for comment Thursday, a spokesperson for Haley’s campaign pointed to how Haley during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” said she would not “play for second.”
But in a Fox News Digital interview Tuesday, Haley did not categorically rule out being Trump’s running mate.
During her speech in Sioux City on Wednesday, Noem also took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been endorsed for president by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and visited all of the state’s 99 counties during a tour in which he touted how he defied mask and vaccine mandates in the Sunshine State, according to the Argus Leader.
Gov. Kristi Noem endorsed former President Trump for president during a rally in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Sept. 8, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“We’re not going to let people who run for office rewrite history,” Noem said onstage Wednesday. “Ron DeSantis closed his businesses down. He closed his beaches down. When it was hard challenging political pressure in times when everything mattered and your constitutional freedoms were threatened, Ron DeSantis caved to pressure. And we just can’t afford to put somebody as leader of the free world that caves to political pressure.”
EX-OBAMA CAMPAIGN MANAGER URGES LIBERAL VOTERS TO SUPPORT NIKKI HALEY TO SABOTAGE TRUMP
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon recently predicted a “big fight” will take place this spring over the direction of the Trump campaign.
“They’re going to try to force Nikki on the ticket,” Bannon said in an appearance on the podcast “Human Events with Jack Posobiec.”
“They’ll say Trump needs a woman, Nikki, on the ticket, she balances things, and she can bring together that 15% of Never Trumpers in the Republican Party,” Bannon said. “We’re going to have to have that fight. If Nikki Haley is in this administration in any capacity, it will fail. She’s a viper. She’s a viper, and once she gets in there, she’ll try to run it as prime minister. She’ll try to be Dick Cheney. Her to Trump will be just like Dick Cheney to Bush. That’s what she’ll try to do.”
Former President Trump and Gov. Kristi Noem speak during a campaign rally in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Sept. 8, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
In an on-air interview with CBS News, Noem was asked if she was on the ground in Sioux City to audition for Trump’s vice presidential spot. She denied that was the case, saying, “I’m here to help the president win.”
When pressed if she would accept an offer to run as Trump’s VP, Noem responded, “I think anybody in this country, if they were offered it, needs to consider it.”
Noem also criticized Haley during the Wednesday appearance, saying, “I haven’t supported Nikki Haley. I just think I don’t really know who the real Nikki Haley is. She’s whoever she needs to be for whatever ways the political winds blow that day.”
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“Nikki Haley would be a bad choice because I don’t know what she will say and do next,” Noem said.
South Dakota’s K-12 population dropped slightly this year, along with public and private school enrollment, but enrollment in alternative instruction grew once again.
That’s according to headcount numbers taken Sept. 26, 2025, and released by the South Dakota Department of Education by Dec. 31.
All totaled, there are 163,053 K-12 students across the state, with 83% of those students attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 8% in alternative instruction.
There are 934 fewer K-12 students across the state than last year’s count of 163,987, a 0.5% decrease.
Public school enrollment decreased by 1,736 students statewide. Across 147 public school districts, there were 135,577 K-12 students this fall, down from 137,313 in last year’s fall count, a decrease of slightly more than 1%.
Private school enrollment decreased by 142 students statewide, totaling 15,043 students in nonpublic schools accredited by the SDDOE across the state, down from last year’s count of 15,185, a decrease of 1%.
Nonpublic school enrollment includes 9,462 students in private schools, 5,072 in tribal/BIE schools, 268 in special population schools, 175 in coop/multi-districts, 26 in community-based service providers, 21 in the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and 19 in alternative schools.
Alternative instruction enrollment increased by 944 students statewide, totaling 12,433 students in alternative instruction or homeschooling this fall, up from 11,489 in last year’s count, an increase of 8%.
In the Sioux Falls metro area, there are 52,325 K-12 students, with 85% attending public schools, 9% enrolled in nonpublic schools and 6% in alternative instruction.
Sioux Falls area public schools
The state’s largest public school district, the Sioux Falls School District, shrunk by 171 students this fall, down from last year’s count of 24,221 K-12 students to this year’s count of 24,050.
Sioux Falls’ neighboring public K-12 school districts saw the following enrollment changes this year:
- Harrisburg, the state’s third-largest district, grew by 173 students, from 6,182 last year to 6,355 this year.
- Brandon Valley, the state’s fourth-largest district, grew by 82 students, from 5,073 last year to 5,155 this year.
- Tea Area grew by five students, from 2,509 last year to 2,514 this year.
- West Central shrunk by 32 students, from 1,418 last year to 1,386 this year.
- Lennox grew by 14 students, from 1,119 last year to 1,133 this year.
- Tri-Valley grew by 41 students, from 952 last year to 993 this year.
- Dell Rapids shrunk by 32 students, from 965 last year to 933 this year.
- Canton shrunk by 23 students, from 888 last year to 865 this year.
- Baltic grew by three students, from 539 last year to 542 this year.
- Garretson shrunk by 10 students, from 468 last year to 458 this year.
All totaled, there are 44,384 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area public schools, a growth of 50 students or 0.1% from last fall’s count of 44,334.
Sioux Falls area private schools
Sioux Falls’ three largest private K-12 school systems saw the following enrollment changes this year:
- Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools, the largest private school system in the state, shrunk by two students, from 2,224 last year to 2,222 this year.
- Sioux Falls Christian School shrunk by nine students, from 1,447 last year to 1,438 this year.
- Sioux Falls Lutheran School grew by 41 students, from 336 last year to 377 this year.
Other local nonpublic K-12 school enrollments include:
- 221 students at St. Mary’s School in Dell Rapids;
- 130 students at Children’s Home Society of South Dakota;
- 125 at East Dakota Educational Cooperative;
- 119 at LifeScape;
- 49 at McCrossan Boys Ranch;
- 45 at Good Shepherd Lutheran School,
- 43 at Westside Christian School,
- 23 at Bethel Lutheran School;
- Four at Southeastern;
- Three at Baan Dek Montessori;
- One at 605 Prep;
- One at DakotAbilities.
All totaled, there are 4,801 K-12 students in Sioux Falls area nonpublic schools, a growth of 24 students or 0.5% from last fall’s count of 4,777.
Sioux Falls area alternative instruction
Though it’s the second-largest public school district in the state, Rapid City Area Schools saw the largest number of students opt out of public school and into alternative instruction and homeschooling once again this year, with 1,839 students, followed by the largest district, Sioux Falls, with 1,793 students.
Sioux Falls-area schools had the following alternative instruction enrollment shifts this year:
- 1,793 in Sioux Falls, an increase of 131 from last year’s count of 1,662;
- 379 in Harrisburg, an increase of 78 from last year’s count of 301;
- 350 in Brandon Valley, an increase of 67 from last year’s count of 283;
- 111 in Tea, a decrease of four from last year’s count of 115;
- 105 in Lennox, an increase of two from last year’s count of 103;
- 97 in West Central, an increase of six from last year’s count of 91;
- 87 in Dell Rapids, an increase of 11 from last year’s count of 76;
- 79 in Canton, a decrease of two from last year’s count of 81;
- 73 in Tri-Valley, an increase of seven from last year’s count of 66;
- 42 in Garretson, an increase of 10 from last year’s count of 32;
- 24 in Baltic, a decrease of one from last year’s count of 25.
All totaled, there are 3,140 students in alternative instruction in the Sioux Falls metro area, an increase of 305 students or 10.7% from last year’s count of 2,835.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 6, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 6 drawing
09-39-47-58-68, Mega Ball: 24
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 6 drawing
10-13-24-27-31, Lucky Ball: 08
Check Lucky 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.
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.
The 2026 South Dakota legislative session is still a week away but we’re already seeing dozens of bills being introduced.
The Legislative Research Council’s website shows more than 60 bills already on tap as of Tuesday.
But many more are on the way. In recent years, the Legislature has seen on average around 500 bills per session. Generally, a little under half end up being signed into law.
Some of the early bills include an act allowing for the removal of a county commissioner and another creating a tax exemption for data centers.
Attorney General Marty Jackley is also introducing a host of bills including one allowing law enforcement to seize cryptocurrency that’s part of a criminal investigation.
“Cryptocurrency has become a haven for scammers, drug traffickers, and human traffickers, costing South Dakotans millions in losses and fueling online crime,” said Jackley. “This legislation adds ‘digital currency’ to South Dakota’s seizure laws, giving law enforcement the tools to confiscate illicit crypto assets and disrupt criminal networks hiding behind digital secrecy.”
A full list of bills and resolutions is available on the LRC’s website.
The 2026 session begins Jan. 13.
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