It is almost Nov. of 2022, which means the official election for the next South Dakota Governor is right around the corner. 

This year’s gubernatorial race is tight between two candidates for governor; incumbent Governor Kristi Noem and Minority leader of South Dakota’s House of Representatives, Jamie Smith. Early access voting began Sept. 23 and ended Oct. 24 and the official election day is Nov. 8. As of Oct. 11, Incumbent governor Noem had a 4% lead over Senator Smith in the pre-election polls. According to Argus Leader, Noem’s campaign raised $3.1 million and Smith’s campaign raised $955,000. 

Smith has been a House Minority Leader since the 2019 legislative season, he speaks for the Democratic party of South Dakota. He represents District 15, which covers parts of downtown Sioux Falls; which includes areas of Terrace Park and the Great Plains Zoo. He is a former SD real estate agent with Hegg Realtors and a former educator. Smith has spent six years in the state legislature. His campaign is focused on affordable housing, high-quality education and healthcare as well as an economy that works for everyone. Smith supports exemptions to South Dakota’s abortion ban in cases that involve rape and incest. 

“The current abortion law is not clear,” said Democratic Gubernatorial nominee Smith. 

Smith spends time working and developing his relationship with the Native American population of South Dakota. On Native American Day, Oct. 10, Smith went to native country out west and met with local natives and officials. Smith has put $810,000 into his election campaign, and most of his money for his campaign has come from public donations. Just recently his campaign is being investigated for violations of financing laws. 

Noem is the current governor of South Dakota and is running for reelection. She is a part of the Republican Party. Noem is a Watertown, South Dakota native. Noem was the first female governor elected in the state of South Dakota. She is a pro-life supporter and supports ending abortion in South Dakota. Noem has said that she wants to “crack down on abortion providers in South Dakota.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, she did not enforce social distancing or the use of masks to prevent the spread of the airborne disease. Noem has spent $4.7 million on her reelection campaign. In her 2022 reelection campaign, she aims to end sales tax on groceries and continue her stance on abortion. 

In Noem’s tenure as the Governor of South Dakota, she made waves. Noem declined a statewide mask mandate in 2020 despite the words of medical experts. In 2019, she signed a bill into law terminating South Dakota’s permit requirement to carry a concealed handgun. Noem spent $500,000 of public funds on her “Meth. We’re on it” campaign. The campaign was met with controversy and harsh public words. It was mocked by millions, and it made national news headlines around the country. In the early months of 2022, Noem placed heavy eyes on the department of corrections and hired Kellie Wasko as the new Secretary of Corrections after a sexual harassment scandal in the workplace with the former corrections secretary Mike Leidhal. Leidhal retired in 2020 because of the scandal and ongoing investigation of sexual harassment inside the state’s penitentiary. Recently she spent $68,000 dollars of taxpayers’ money on updates to the Governor’s mansion including adding a sauna, new chandeliers along with imported rugs from India. 

As the 2022 Gubernatorial race comes down to the last couple weeks of the election pandemonium, these are some of the issues and events behind the candidates for South Dakota’s next governor. The Gubernatorial election will be held on Nov. 8 of 2022 with results coming in on the early hours of Nov. 9.