South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem He built a national profile during the COVID-19 pandemic, got fellow Republicans talking about his future and published two political memoirs in three years. Lawmakers describe the man who will replace him as a friendly, outspoken rancher and expert welder who they expect will focus more on in-state issues.

Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden’s biggest, fleeting achievement to national fame came in 2017, when he triggered a panic alarm during a hearing to test how quickly police would arrive to back up his claim that people should be allowed to carry guns in the Capitol.

Now focused on South Dakota, he receives bipartisan praise as a conservative knowledgeable about how the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature works.

President-elect Donald Trump It was announced on Tuesday He would nominate Noem, 52, to be the next U.S. secretary of homeland security. If the Senate confirms Noem, Rhoden will automatically become governor. It’s unclear how quickly this could happen.

Noem’s earliest recollection is of Rhoden taking her under his wing in 2006 when she won a seat in the South Dakota House, where he served as majority leader. He served in the Parliament for 16 years. Noem described Rhoden as “direct and honest” when she put her name on the gubernatorial ticket in 2018.

Others describe the 65-year-old as a true Western South Dakota farmer. In the photo on the governor’s website, he is seen outside wearing a leather jacket and a cowboy hat. He operates a private sourcing business producing cattle brands.

“He is legally legitimate,” said Republican State Rep. Greg Jamison of Sioux Falls, one of five House majority candidates, calling Rhoden “a true reflection of how South Dakota and anyone from across the country would perceive our state.” He described it as.

State lawmakers don’t expect major policy changes under Rhoden: Like Noem, she represents socially conservative, small-government Republicans in the Plains and western states. But they do not expect him to spend time focusing on national politics like his predecessor.

Jamison said Rhoden has always been more visible in Pierre, the state capital.

“Larry is often seen in the hallways around the Capitol and at different events. He agrees with most of them. I see him socializing with everyone all the time. “Governor Noem was a little more out of sight that way,” he said.

“This is a guy who was on the school board and then ran for the Legislature and did that for a long time and rose through the ranks,” Jamison said.

Retired state Sen. Lee Schoenbeck, the Senate’s top GOP leader, said Rhoden was a good problem solver but, more importantly, he was a “South Dakota boy.”

“His interests will be within (the state’s) 605 area code,” Schoenbeck said.

Term-limited House Speaker Hugh Bartels acknowledged that Rhoden would offer a different type of leadership.

“Yes, I think there will be differences in style,” Bartels said. “They’re just different people.”

Rhoden did not respond to a cell phone call or message seeking comment Wednesday. Like U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and State Attorney General Marty Jackley, he is being considered as a possible Republican candidate for governor in 2026.

Noem posted He said on social platform X that he was honored and humbled that Trump chose him. He did not address the transition in South Dakota in his post.

Before Noem, perhaps South Dakota’s two best-known political figures were Democrats: former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, the party’s 1972 presidential nominee, and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. Republican senators on Wednesday elected John Thune, who unseated Daschle as the next majority leader in 2004.

South Dakota hasn’t elected a Democratic governor in 45 years, and after this year’s elections, more than 90% of the 35 state senators and 70 state House members will be Republicans.

The dominance of GOP conservatives hasn’t always meant harmony. Some more hard-line right-wing Republicans have fought Noem and other more established Republicans on issues such as: cut taxes, COVID-19 vaccine exemptions, transgender athletes, commercial surrogacy, And rights of landowners.

MPs formed an alliance with the Freedom Group. Founded in 2022 She will lead both chambers in January to push the Legislature and Noem to the right.

Michael Card, a political science professor emeritus at the University of South Dakota, said that if Noem had not been nominated for the Cabinet position, “the Freedom Caucus would probably have asked for a pound of meat.” He warned that “Mr. Rhoden may face fights simply out of guilt.”

But lawmakers generally praised Rhoden for his ability to build alliances and work across the aisle.

Building relationships has always been Rhoden’s “real strength,” said Republican state Rep. Tony Venhuizen of Sioux Falls.

Minority Leader Erin Healy, a Sioux Falls Democrat who recently entered the House, welcomed the passage.

“Lieutenant Governor Rhoden has demonstrated a willingness to cooperate,” Healy said. “So I’m very optimistic that as governor he will encourage an open and transparent dialogue with the Legislature.”

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Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas, and Karnowski from Minneapolis. Associated Press writer Stephen Groves in Washington, D.C., also contributed.