Noem leads party to big night in state

• Smiling Noem

U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., speaks Tuesday night at a Republican Party Election Night gathering at the Ramkota in Sioux Falls after winning her re-election bid over Democrat Matt Varilek (Chris Huber/Republic)

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SIOUX FALLS — South Dakota voters chose Republicans at the top of the ballot Tuesday in the apparent hope that a new president working with congressional Republicans could jump start the nation’s economy.

Republican Rep. Kristi Noem won election to a second term as South Dakota’s lone member of the U.S. House, surviving an aggressive challenge from Democrat Matt Varilek. Mitt Romney won South Dakota’s three electoral votes, defeating President Barack Obama, to continue the GOP’s domination of presidential politics in the heavily Republican state. Obama, however, won the nation.

Voters said they believe Romney would do a better job of reviving the economy than Obama has.

“I think the man’s a businessman. He knows how to do things,” said Dennis Nelson, a 56-year-old truck driver from Philip.

“I think he’ll get better control of the spending issues in Washington than Obama could,” agreed Chad Hank, 39, an insurance office manager from Tea.

Neither Romney nor Democratic President Barack Obama campaigned in Republican-leaning South Dakota, as both sides focused their efforts on competitive states with more electoral votes. No Democratic presidential candidate has carried South Dakota since 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson prevailed over Republican Barry Goldwater.

The economy also dominated the race between Noem and Varilek

Noem, a 40-year-old farmer and former state lawmaker, accused Varilek of supporting tax increases on middle-class families and small businesses and backing the health care overhaul she contends would increase costs instead of reducing them.

Varilek, a 37-year-old former congressional staffer, accused Noem of supporting Republican plans that he said would wreck Medicare, the health care program for retirees, and give tax breaks to the wealthy.

Tim Rabb, a 53-year-old chiropractor from Sioux Falls said he voted for Noem because she believes in smaller government. He also was leery of Varilek’s experience as a congressional staffer.

“He’s been in government all his life, so he doesn’t have much business experience. Kristi Noem does,” Rabb said.

“The repeal of Obamacare is important,” Rabb added.

Varilek also hammered Noem for missing many House committee meetings and failing to get a farm bill passed before Congress recessed for the election. She said she attended most of the meetings she was accused of missing and missed others because she couldn’t be in two meetings in once.

That issue struck home with Mike Sanovia, 47, a marketing representative in Sioux Falls who said he voted for Varilek because Noem had missed meetings.

“Kristi is not there, and she’s going back and forth on our dime,” Sanovia said.

South Dakota voters on Tuesday also were electing state lawmakers and two members of the three-member Public Utilities Commission, which regulates electric, natural gas and telephone utilities.

Voters also were deciding some ballot issues, including a plan to boost the state sales tax from 4 percent to 5 percent, with the extra money split between schools and Medicaid. They rejected Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s plan to give merit pay to teachers.

Tags: election 2012, kristi noem, news, updates, state, politics