EXCLUSIVE — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will speak to hundreds of young conservatives in Washington, D.C., later this month at Young America’s Foundation’s annual National Conservative Student Conference, the Washington Examiner has learned.
Noem will deliver a keynote address to the “biggest, student-only, conservative conference of the summer” on Thursday, July 28. The organization expects nearly 500 students to attend.
“We have a fantastic opportunity to remind our kids and grandkids that there is another path forward for our country than what they see coming out of Washington. That path is simple — it’s Freedom. And South Dakota is the best example of how well it works,” the governor told the Washington Examiner.
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“YAF is thrilled to welcome Governor Noem to our extensive lineup at the 44th annual National Conservative Student Conference,” YAF spokeswoman Kara Zupkus told the Washington Examiner. “A tireless advocate against big government tyranny, Governor Noem is sure to inspire the hundreds of college students in attendance who are eager to bring the fight for freedom to their campuses this fall.”
The governor is joining an already stacked lineup for the five-day conference, with prominent conservatives such as former Vice President Mike Pence, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), former United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, and many more also slated to speak over the course of the event.
Last year, she visited the late President Ronald Reagan’s “Rancho del Cielo” in California, which is owned and operated by YAF. Along with YAF President and former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, she toured Reagan’s former home.
“We can restore our ‘shining city on a hill’ with old-fashioned work ethic and belief in our fellow man, but it will only happen with fiscal discipline that is not being displayed today by power-hungry politicians,” Noem wrote after the visit.
The governor has repeatedly sparked 2024 presidential and vice presidential speculation; however, she recently said she “would be shocked” if former President Donald Trump asked her to be his running mate. “And right now, I’m just so focused on South Dakota. We’re doing great things, and we’ve got a lot more to do the next four years.”
She further said she would support Trump in a 2024 run.
Noem piqued curiosity about federal ambitions after enlisting the help of Corey Lewandowski, former senior adviser to Trump and onetime Trump campaign manager.
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However, the governor severed ties with the adviser last year following sexual harassment allegations against Lewandowski.
Despite the professional split, reports have circulated that Noem’s team has reestablished a relationship with Lewandowski.
SCOOP: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has reestablished ties with fmr. Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski just months after severing them after accusations from a major GOP donor that Lewandowski had made unwanted sexual advances at a charity event. https://t.co/J5C4BN9JGe pic.twitter.com/pIyxMLjEpP
— Daniel Lippman (@dlippman) May 26, 2022
