Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota tried to criticize Tim Walz, the Democratic candidate for vice president, on X, but she was met with insults.
Noem tried to call Walz a radical on Tuesday, saying that Walz “pretended to be moderate” while they were both in Congress but “then showed his true extremist colors as soon as he became Governor.” She also said that South Dakota was doing better economically than Minnesota because people were leaving Walz’s state because of the policies he had put in place.
But on Thursday, anti-Trump Republican former Representative Adam Kinzinger called her out with a picture of Walz hunting with a dog. He was referring to Noem’s disturbing story about killing her puppy because it wasn’t good enough for shooting.
Other Republicans, including Mitt Romney, made fun of Noem’s dog story. This was probably a big reason why Noem didn’t get to be Donald Trump’s running mate. Walz, on the other hand, not only has that great picture, but he also has a dog named Scout who is already a big hit on the internet. The family Walz got a stray black lab mix in 2019. In 2023, the dog famously locked himself in Walz and his wife Gwen’s bedroom. The story came up again this week when Walz was chosen to be Kamala Harris’s running mate.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Noem are the next red state governors who have tried to hit Walz but failed. Like Noem, Sanders was made fun of with a picture of a happy Walz, this time with kids hugging him, and a picture of Sanders with a bunch of serious, sad kids. Native groups have banned Noem from all of their land in her state. This could be because Republicans can’t understand a governor who is liked by the people who live in her state.
