The presidential election of 2024 is moving along quickly, and one of the big upcoming decisions is who Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump will pick as a running mate.
One of the key names being debated is South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who is saying that if selected she will continue to serve as governor during the months of campaigning.
Noem told South Dakota News Watch that she has no plans to formally delegate authority to Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden, if she is nominated by the Republican Party in the summer national convention.
Noem has been governor for six years and has two more years on her term. She said she will keep up with her governor duties amid any extra tasks as a vice president nominee.
Five states have “resign to run" laws to prevent elected officials from neglecting state duties or using public resources while running for another office, but South Dakota is not one of them.
In other news, Iowa officials could arrest undocumented immigrants and order them to leave the country under a bill that’s headed to the governor’s desk.
The bill would let the state prosecute certain undocumented immigrants and deport them, a task that is currently done by the federal government.
The Iowa House voted for the Texas-style law just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Tuesday that allowed Texas to deport people, for now, as a legal challenge of the Texas law plays out.
The bill passed with almost all Republicans and a few Democrats supporting it. Governor Kim Reynolds plans to sign the bill.
Republican Representative Steven Holt, of Denison, said the federal government has abdicated its duty to control the southern border, so Iowa law enforcement needs to fill the gap.
Democratic Representative Sami Scheetz said illegal immigration is a serious problem that needs a national solution, but that that particular bill would foster fear among immigrant communities.
In other news, a big $2 million dollar grant is going to a Ho-Chunk organization that does extensive economic development and building of social opportunities in Northeast Nebraska and Siouxland.
The Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation received the $2 million from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving, after a competitive grant process that had received more than 6,000 applications.
Ho-Chunk is one of 250 awardees nationally, after demonstrating that the corporation will work with people in places experiencing great need, by serving the Winnebago Tribe community in Thurston County, Nebraska.
Ho-Chunk Development Corporation Executive Director Kristine Earth in a release said the financial gift will expand the reach of Ho-Chunk to deliver innovative programs serving the Winnebago people.
Additionally, the slate of state and federal candidates for the 2024 primary election has been set in Iowa. A second group of candidates will soon be formed, as the deadline for county candidates in Iowa to file nomination papers ends at 5 p.m. Friday.
Several candidates have already filed in Woodbury County, and anyone considering filing papers has two more days to carry that out.
