Gov. Kristi Noem gets primary challenge from the Right in former state speaker

South Dakota lawmaker Steven Haugaard announced Wednesday he will mount a conservative primary challenge to Gov. Kristi Noem, who “bowed to the pressure of Big Business,” Haugaard said.

Haugaard said he’s launching his “South Dakota First” primary challenge against Noem, who is seeking a second term in 2022, because she has “been beholden to special interests,” an apparent swipe at the governor’s “style and form” veto of a bill that would have banned transgender girls and women from participating in female sports leagues. At the time, members of the GOP decried the veto as “caving” to business interests.