The Trump VP sweepstakes: One Dakota governor up, another down and probably out

In this post, I touted Kristi Noem as an ideal running mate for Donald Trump. I didn’t do this because I want Noem to be on the ticket. There are others I’d prefer for that spot.

My argument, instead, was that Noem would be the most helpful partner for Trump. I cited her gender, her good looks, her charisma, and the fact that she didn’t lock down South Dakota during the pandemic. If Trump has a weakness with voters who would normally support him, it’s probably the fact that he gave too much control over covid policy to Dr. Fauci.

My post drew an immediate response, both online and off. Astute readers pointed out that Noem is said to have had an extra-marital affair with Corey Lewandowski. I responded that this obviously was a minus for her, but probably not a deal-breaker.

Was I right? It doesn’t matter now because a clear deal-breaker has emerged. And even more than the Lewandowski matter, it’s a self-inflicted wound.