Critics of Governor Kristi Noem buy marijuana and SD National Guard billboards

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Residents of South Dakota are using billboards to lash out at Governor Kristi Noem for actions taken over the past eight months, drawing bipartisan criticism.

The first-term governor last November authorized the use of state public funds to challenge the legality of a voter-approved voting measure legalizing marijuana. And this summer, Noem accepted a million dollar donation from a billionaire in Tennessee to cover the cost of sending 50 South Dakota National Guard troops to the southern border.

Both measures have been heavily criticized by Democrats and Noem’s Republican colleagues inside and outside South Dakota. And now the billboard companies are cashing in like a group of West River residents and a Sioux Falls-based Political Action Committee (PAC) is paying thousands of dollars to run ads that call Noem for the controversial moves.

“The South Dakota National Guard is not for hire,” read a 14-by-48-foot notice board along Interstate 29 near the 41st Street exit.

Another Noem-related advertisement displayed at the corner of 14th Street and Cliff Avenue, where more than 28,000 vehicles pass each day, notes that more South Dakotas have voted for Constitutional Amendment A, the legal measure for marijuana. adopted last November, only for the governor of Noem. campaign in 2018.

Citizens for a Better South Dakota President Brian Gochal said the organization started running the Noem-cannabis ad this week to highlight the “pride” someone needs to stand up against something. thing that has more support than them.

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“It’s ironic, but more people voted for cannabis than for her,†Gochal told Argus Leader. “It was an opportunistic time to show people that they are not alone in their frustration.”

At Gochal’s point, Noem got 172,912 votes in his run in 2018, against 225,260 positive votes for Amendment A. However, Noem received over 230,000 votes during his candidacy for the 2016 re-election to the United States House.

After:Governor Noem to send another 125 members of the South Dakota National Guard to the southern border

Presidential election years have a higher turnout than election years when the governor’s office is in place.

Gochal said Citizens for a Better South Dakota spent nearly $ 1,400 on a contract to run the ad on 16 different billboards in Sioux Falls in turn over the next 30 days.

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The South Dakota National Guard not for hire ad also accommodates thousands of vehicles per day. Suzanne is one of four friends from Rapid City who decided to pool their money to buy an ad after complaining about their opposition to Noem’s use of private funds to support a Dakota National Guard military mission. from South.

Advertisements in response to Governor Kristi Noem's decision to use a private donation from a billionaire in Tennessee to cover a military deployment have appeared on billboards in Sioux Falls and Rapid City in recent days.

And after she started driving along a main thoroughfare in Rapid City last week, she said people “started dropping bags of money” for the ad to continue beyond the contract. initial three days.

And on Thursday, the group took its message to the eastern part of the state where it now operates on 41st Street and I-29, where more than 130,000 cars, trucks and motorcycles pass each week.

“The governor’s coup to get a million dollars and send it to Texas really offended us,†Iudicello said.

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So far, the group of friends have spent around $ 1,200 to run the ads in Rapid City and Sioux Falls. And Iudicello said there are discussions to install one in El Paso, Texas, where the guard unit is deployed.

All this attention on the billboards, however, does not faze Noem and his administration. Its spokesperson, Ian Fury, said in an email Thursday afternoon that they were accepting criticism without hesitation.

“The beauty of our country is the freedom to express yourself, and the sponsors certainly have the right to do so,†he wrote. “Governor Noem is focused on making the right decisions for South Dakota. If you take the flak, it’s a good sign you’ve gone over target.”

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