Ron DeSantis and Kristi Noem, compare and contrast

Ron DeSantis and Kristi Noem are both popular Republican governors, and their popularity extends to the GOP’s conservative base. Both have been mentioned for several years as potential nominees for national office. Now, DeSantis is probably the frontrunner for the 2024 presidential nomination. Noem is a possibility for the second slot on the ticket.

But the two governors are less alike than some might suppose. Consider, for example, their differing responses to drag queen shows for kids.

In Noem’s state, South Dakota, the state university hosted a drag show advertised as “kid friendly.” The event, sponsored by the Gender and Sexualities Alliance student organization at the university, was billed as “a professional drag show featuring local performers.

The ad continued:

Show your support for the drag queens by bringing $1 and $5 bills to tip. . . Photo opportunities with the stars will be available after the show. . .This show will be kid friendly, so bring your whole family for an evening of entertainment.

(Emphasis added)

The show sparked concern among South Dakota legislator, but Noem was slow off the mark. This prompted Norman Woods, executive director of the Family Heritage Alliance (FHA), to write to the governor. Woods’ letter, which he released publicly, called on Noem to take action against “kid friendly drag shows.” Specifically, it urged her to:

Work with the Attorney General’s office to discover the interpretation of South Dakota law, code 22-24-30, which states, “A person is guilty of disseminating material harmful to minors if, with reference to a motion picture, show, or other presentation which depicts nudity, sexual conduct, or sado-masochistic abuse, and which is harmful to minors.

Work with our state lawmakers to push legislation that protects South Dakota minors from future drag shows and commit to signing such legislation into law.

[Speak] to the South Dakota Board of Regents and the President of the South Dakota State University about this drag event to ensure our taxpayer-funded buildings are not used to harm our children in the future.

The letter criticized Noem mildly for not having taken such steps. (The Board of Regents has since said it will develop a policy to protect minors on campus and to have the office review “all upcoming campus events involving the presence of minors on campus” in the meantime. Noem says she advocated for this behind the scenes.)

Noem responded to Woods’ letter by calling on his organization to fire him. In a letter to its board, she stated:

I’d encourage the Family Heritage Alliance to evaluate the purpose of your organization? Is it to promote family values — or is it to attack the most conservative governor in the country?

I believe it is the former and urge you to focus your efforts on bringing our shared pro-family message to the people of South Dakota. I suggest you find an Executive Director who agrees.

(Emphasis added)

Woods fired back:

As an organization exclusively lobbying on behalf of South Dakota families, we naively thought we could engage America’s ‘most conservative governor,’ her words, in an effort to put an end to explicit sexualization of children on our public university campuses. Sadly, she misconstrued our efforts.

This clash shows Noem to be (1) way too thin skinned (2) remarkably full of herself (how dare Woods criticize “the most conservative governor in the country”), and (3) seemingly more concerned about addressing perceived disrespect than with combatting wokeism.

Now, let’s compare Noem’s behavior to that of DeSantis. Yesterday, the Florida governor announced that he’s launching an investigation of a Christmas drag show witnessed by children:

Following an event at Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts, part of the national tour of “A Drag Queen Christmas,” the state issued this statement:

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation is aware of multiple complaints about a sexually explicit performance marketed to children held in Fort Lauderdale on December 26th.  Exposing children to sexually explicit activity is a crime in Florida, and such action violates the Department’s licensing standards for operating a business and holding a liquor license.

DeSantis launched a similar investigation into a Miami bar last summer after it hosted a hosted a sexualized drag show in which partially nude performers engaged with children. A video from the event that went viral featured a topless drag queen wearing lingerie stuffed with money attempting to dance with a young girl estimated to be between three and five years old.

I think the contrast between Noem and DeSantis here is telling.

Nor is this the only case of Noem falling short in the fight against wokeism. The fight to protect girls from the unfair competition of biological males in sports is another example.

Noem vetoed a bill passed by the South Dakota legislature banning biological males from women’s sports. Facing criticism from conservatives, Noem maintained she was following the advice of unnamed “legal experts” who advised her that the bill’s “overly broad language could have significant unintended consequences.” But there is reason to believe the veto was the result of lobbying by business interests afraid of losing events due to blowback from woke corporations and sports leagues.

To her credit, Noem eventually signed strong legislation protecting female athletes. But this affair shows that her instincts aren’t good. The “kid friendly drag show” flap seems to confirm this.

There’s a difference, I think, between being the biggest badass governor in America and being its most conservative one.