PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Friday used what might prove to be her final weekly column to say a final goodbye.

Earlier in the day, she appeared before a U.S. Senate committee for her confirmation hearing as President-elect Trump’s nominee for homeland security secretary.

Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden, her running mate in 2018 and 2022, will become governor upon her resignation. Her second and final term was to run until early January 2027.

Rhoden, who before had walked the halls like any other Capitol employee other than Gov. Noem, this week had security people accompanying him in his role as South Dakota Senate president and outside his Capitol office.

He posed for photos after the Senate adjourned on Friday afternoon with the Senate’s secretarial staff and sergeant at arms.

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The transition from Noem to Rhoden could come within the next few days. Trump’s inauguration is Monday, January 20, which coincides with the Martin Luther King, Jr., national and state holiday.

Noem praised Rhoden in the column titled ‘My Great Honor’ and said South Dakota’s people are worth serving and “the very best in America.”

“So although I am saying “farewell,” please know that I’m not going far,” her column said. “South Dakota has always been my home – and it is still my home. I will continue to focus on making our people safer, stronger, and freer.”

She concluded, “To the people of South Dakota: thank you for the incredible honor of serving you as state representative, as congresswoman, and now as governor. Thank you for trusting me and for working with me to accomplish incredible things.”