SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Following Governor Kristi Noem’s appointment to Secretary of Homeland Security, Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden succeeded to governor of South Dakota.
Rhoden received Noem’s resignation as governor and succeeded immediately following the vote by the United States Senate.
“Kristi and I have been talking constantly about this succession over the past couple of months, so we were very much on the same page,” Rhoden said in a statement to KELOLAND News. “When I got the call from Kristi today, I was getting ready to take a load of steel to Cammack Ranch Supply. She congratulated me, I congratulated her, and we both got to work.”
Rhoden officially became the 34th governor of South Dakota late Saturday morning.
“Until now, I have kept my extensive preparations for this succession to myself. I would have loved to have spoken openly sooner, but the time was not yet appropriate,” said Governor Rhoden in a press release. “South Dakotans should rest assured that I’m ready to serve as your governor.”
Watch: Noem confirmed for Secretary of Homeland Security
Succession planning reportedly began shortly after President Trump announced his nomination of Noem as secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in November. Rhoden held months of briefings and meetings with Noem and a number of current and former state officials and friends.
You can read Noem’s full resignation letter here.
It is the third time in South Dakota history that a lieutenant governor became governor without winning election and the first time while the Legislature is in session.
Democratic Gov. Dick Kneip resigned midway through his final year in office in 1978 and Lt. Gov. Harvey Wollman became governor.
Republican Gov. George S. Mickelson died in a state plane crash on April 19, 1993, and Lt. Gov. Walter Dale Miller became governor for the remaining 20-plus months.
The next question is who will be chosen by Gov. Rhoden as lieutenant governor.
On Friday, then-Lt. Gov. Rhoden introduced former Lt. Gov. Matt Michels to the Senate chamber. While that might have been interpreted as a signal, neither of them said anything about the next lieutenant governor. Michels recently joined Noem’s gubernatorial staff as a senior advisor.
Their respective times at the statehouse coincided at many points. Michels served in the House 1999-2006 and he returned as lieutenant governor 2011-2018. Rhoden began in the House in 2001 and served 16 years, moving up to lieutenant governor in 2019.
Rhoden was House majority leader while Michels was House speaker in 2005-2006, so they would have worked closely that term. Rhoden followed Michels as lieutenant governor, so there is that connection as well. Rhoden and Michels hugged when Rhoden called Michels forward Friday.
The South Dakota Constitution says, “Whenever there is a permanent vacancy in the office of the lieutenant governor, the Governor shall nominate a lieutenant governor who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of all the members of each house of the Legislature.”
Noem selected Rhoden as her running mate on the Republican ticket in 2018. They defeated Democratic candidates Billie Sutton and Michelle Lavallee that November. In 2022, they won re-election against Democratic challengers Jamie Smith and Jennifer Keintz.
Further details of Governor Rhoden’s succession, including a swearing-in ceremony, will be announced shortly, according to his office. KELOLAND News will bring you live coverage of Governor Rhoden’s historic swearing-in when it takes place.
