Popular Republican Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) confirmed speculation that she might jump into the 2024 presidential race at the last minute.
In an already crowded GOP playing field, Noem said that now is not the time to run for president, adding that no Republican can win the nomination over former President Trump.
“The fact is, none of them can win as long as Trump’s in the race. And that’s just the facts. So why run if you can’t win?” Noem said during an interview on Fox and Friends.
Trump has dominated the polls since entering the game. Not even his closest rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), has come close to edging him out.
According to RealClearPolitics, the 45th president has a massive 38-point average lead in the polls, already polling on average at 53.9 percent.
Noem, who has yet to endorse any candidate, assured Americans that “you’ll hear something from me” regarding her support for GOP candidates.
However, she did hint that she would throw her support behind Trump.
Noem praised Trump for being “inspirational” while he was president, saying he let her control her state while President Joe Biden dictated it.
“I’ve probably run ten statewide races. I’ve won them all. I’ve never lost. If I get into a race, I’m going to win,” Noem continued. “And President Trump did some great things for our state and for our country. As governor, everybody should be grateful for this — he let me do my job. When he was president, he let me do my job, and I appreciate that.”
The Republican governor was also asked if she would be Trump’s running mate— to which she neither denied nor accepted. Instead, Noem said she would cross that bridge if they got to it, noting that Trump has not asked her to be his vice president.
Pollster Richard Baris pointed out that there is a “Trump or bust” ” vote that will not come out for any other Republican. He said that it is “not mathematically possible for DeSantis to win the general election without the MAGA vote.”
“The reason is what we’ve been focusing on all year. The ‘Trump OR Bust’ vote is bigger than the NeverTrump (all parties) vote,” Baris said
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