Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., promoted her record as an outsider during remarks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday while making a soft pitch to be Donald Trump's running mate.
"We need to look for our leaders outside of the swamp," she told the crowd at CPAC.
First elected to governor of South Dakota in 2018 on the strength of Trump's endorsement, Noem touched on her anti-establishment views saying, "Nobody turns to D.C. for the solutions. Nothing meaningful gets accomplished here. It is governors who have had to lead, and I have seen governors make bad decisions and devastate their states, and we have seen governors who did the right thing."
Earlier this week Noem showed solidarity with fellow Republican governor Greg Abbott of Texas when she deployed the South Dakota National Guard to aid Texas with the influx of illegal border crossings.
"For me personally, I slammed my foot on the gas. I promoted freedom, personal responsibility, and our Constitution," Noem said.
Earlier this week, Trump made public his shortlist for vice presidential candidates that also includes former GOP candidates Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Vivek Ramaswamy, along with Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla, and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who ran as a Democrat in the 2020 presidential primary.
"I want to thank you for your dedication to freedom. You are inspirational. I want you to leave here and go be hopeful and go be happy. May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America," she concluded.