Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem ( NOHM; née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician serving as the United States special envoy for the Shield of the Americas since 2026. From 2025 to 2026, she served as the eighth United States secretary of homeland security. A member of the Republican Party, she served from 2019 to 2025 as the 33rd governor of South Dakota and represented South Dakota's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. During her tenure at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), her immigration policies generated controversies, particularly following the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Born in Watertown, South Dakota, Noem began her political career in the South Dakota House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011. She was elected as the first female governor of South Dakota in 2018 with the endorsement of President Donald Trump. She gained national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for opposing statewide mask mandates in favor of voluntary measures. Noem has conservative positions on most domestic issues, particularly gun rights, abortion, and immigration. In January 2026, Noem defended the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal ICE agents, before any investigation, which led some lawmakers to call for her resignation or impeachment. In March 2026, Noem appeared before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary after reports emerged of her alleged relationship with her subordinate, Corey Lewandowski, and of her misuse of government funds on television advertisements and private luxury jets, as well as inappropriate use of U.S. Coast Guard assets and housing. Her testimony before the committee intensified criticism from Congress. After the congressional hearing, Trump announced his decision to remove Noem from DHS. In March 2026, Noem was appointed special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a US-led regional security organization.
Early life and education Noem was born Kristi Lynn Arnold to Corinne and Ron Arnold on November 30, 1971, in Watertown, South Dakota, and raised with her siblings on the family ranch and farm near the town of Hazel. She has Norwegian ancestry and is a descendant of Ephraim Wilson, who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Noem was crowned South Dakota Snow Queen on January 13, 1990, when she was a senior at Hamlin High School in Hayti. Noem attended Northern State University from 1990 to 1994 but did not graduate. In March 1994, her father was killed in a grain bin accident and Noem left college early to run the family farm. Her daughter, Kassidy, was born weeks later, on April 21, 1994. She added a hunting lodge and restaurant to the family property. Her siblings also moved back to help expand the businesses. Noem subsequently took classes at the Watertown campus of Mount Marty College and at South Dakota State University, and online classes from the University of South Dakota. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in political science from South Dakota State University in 2012 while serving as a U.S. representative. The Washington Post dubbed her Capitol Hill's "most powerful intern" for receiving college intern credits from her position as a member of Congress.
South Dakota House of Representatives (2007–2011) In 2006, Noem won a seat as a Republican in the South Dakota House of Representatives, representing the 6th district, comprising parts of Beadle, Clark, Codington, Hamlin, and Kingsbury counties. In 2006, she won with 39% of the vote, and received $6330 in direct contributions to her campaign. In 2008, she was reelected with 41% of the vote. Noem served for four years, from 2007 to 2010. She was an assistant majority leader during her second term. During her tenure, Noem was the prime sponsor of 11 bills that became law, including several property tax reforms and two bills to increase gun rights in South Dakota. In 2009, she served as vice chair of the Agriculture Land Assessment Advisory Task Force. Senator Larry Rhoden chaired the task force, and later served as her lieutenant governor. During her tenure, she joined the Civil Air Patrol as a "state legislative member".
U.S. House of Representatives (2011–2019)
In 2010, Noem ran for South Dakota's at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She won the Republican primary and defeated incumbent Democrat Stephanie Herseth Sandlin in the general election. Noem was reelected three times, serving in Congress until 2019.
Tenure
The 2011 House Republican 87-member freshman class elected Noem as liaison to the House Republican leadership, making her the second woman member of the House GOP leadership. According to The Hill, her role was to push the leadership to make significant cuts to federal government spending and to help Speaker John Boehner manage the expectations of the freshman class. In March 2011, Republican Representative Pete Sessions of Texas named Noem one of the 12 regional directors for the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2012 election campaign. On March 8, 2011, she announced the formation of a leadership political action committee, KRISTI PAC. Former South Dakota Lieutenant Governor Steve Kirby is its treasurer. Noem was among the top freshman Republicans in PAC fundraising in the first quarter of 2011, raising $169,000 from PACs.
Abortion and stem cells In August 2010, while running for Congress, Noem indicated on a questionnaire from the Christian Coalition of America that she would vote to ban in-vitro fertilization and embryonic stem-cell research. Noem co-sponsored legislation that would federally ban abortion. In 2015, she co-sponsored a bill to amend the 14th Amendment to define human life and personhood as beginning at fertilization, federally banning abortion from the moment of fertilization, without exceptions. She also voted for a bill to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
