Regardless of the way this turns out, and right now a lot of Washington Republicans are losing faith, we have to bandage our self-inflicted wounds, remember but not obsess over Democrat cheating, brush ourselves off and work. It won’t be easy.

We’ve lost the suburbs and we’ll always have the media and the culture against us. We only had the American people and now their vote has been negated. Where do we go from here? Well, we need changes in personnel, tactics, and strategy. And that means a new look, both generationally and temperamentally, on the ticket. Christian Dior 1947, call your office.

If the president loses now and wants the 2024 nomination, he’ll get it. But we’ve got to send a signal to voters who left us this time that our future isn’t stagnant or based on a cult of personality focused on one man. We’ve got to update the brand so we keep our Trump base and expand it. As such, South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem must be on the ticket.

Yes, there are those who have more seniority and greater gravitas at this point. Nikki Haley for one, Marco Rubio for another. Both would be a new look. But both may not pass muster with the Trump base who are looking for any reason for intraparty revenge.

Noem has been solid across the board. She campaigned for the president and didn’t destroy her state over Covid-19. She also was a member of Congress for 8 years.

Well said by Justice Alito:

"The pandemic has resulted in previous unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty… The COVID crisis has served as a sort of constitutional stress test… it has highlighted disturbing trends that were already present before the virus struck." pic.twitter.com/1gPGiHwcGE

— Governor Kristi Noem (@GovKristiNoem) November 13, 2020

It looks like she’s laying the groundwork for a run, but no doubt would accept a veep nod from Trump. WMUR: “During her trip to New Hampshire, Noem made a quick visit for breakfast at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester, which has long been a must-stop for White House hopefuls. The governor spoke with customers and the kitchen staff. And when she arrived at the Trump New Hampshire headquarters to greet staff and volunteers, a woman in the crowd yelled out ‘Kristi for 2024.’…Noem isn’t ruling anything out when it comes to her political future. ‘I haven’t even ruled out what I’m doing tomorrow…I think the only reason that people know who I am today is because the liberals — Rachel Maddow, Elizabeth Warren — they’ve attacked me for the decisions I’ve made for my people in South Dakota,’ Noem said.”

Noem didn’t mandate business shutdowns and domestic lockdown orders. She shunned nanny state solutions. The governor has said she’s not going to change her freedom-centered approach. Voters approve in droves.

“We’re still in good shape in South Dakota,” said Noem. “We are identifying more positive cases. That’s tracking along with how much testing we’re doing. We’ve almost tripled the amount of testing that we’re doing.” Her plan is working.

Her success in South Dakota is being studied and emulated. That could act as a launching point for 2024: A Republican chief executive who actually got the virus right.

This piece was written by David Kamioner on November 13, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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