南卡罗来纳州哥伦比亚市——南达科他州州长克里斯蒂·诺姆(Kristi Noem)可能正在考虑2024年入主白宫，她将于下个月在南卡罗来纳州首次亮相——这是第一个在共和党初选中投票选举总统的南方州的第一步。
诺姆将于8月23日在安德森举行的“信仰与自由烧烤”上发表演讲，该活动的主持人、美国众议员杰夫·邓肯周五告诉美联社。
根据代表南卡罗来纳州第三区的邓肯的说法，这次活动是该州共和党人最大的年度聚会。过去，它吸引了许多演讲者，包括时任副总统迈克·彭斯、参议员特德·克鲁兹和乔尼·恩斯特，以及前南卡罗来纳州州长妮基·黑利，他也曾在特朗普政府中担任两年联合国大使。
邓肯在接受美联社采访时表示:“在国会与克里斯蒂·诺姆共事后，我直接了解到她是一名斗士，她相信政府是为人民而生的，政府不应该主宰我们的生活。
在四届美国众议院任期后，诺姆于2018年当选州长，通过这一职位，她走到了全国各州领导人的前列，在冠状病毒大流行期间谴责政府的限制。
像其他可能在该领域的人一样，诺姆淡化了这一前景。当被公开问及白宫的任何野心时，她说她的重点是她2022年的州长连任竞选。
但其他行动——如注册一个联邦政治行动委员会和在提前投票的州进行投票——表明情况并非如此，因为诺姆试图在早期可能成为共和党白宫竞争对手的人群中占据一席之地。
49岁的诺姆最近访问了爱荷华州和新罕布什尔州，海莉、彭斯和前国务卿迈克·蓬佩奥也去了。与蓬佩奥、佛罗里达州州长里克·德桑蒂斯和前总统唐纳德·特朗普一起，她在今年的保守派政治行动会议上发表了讲话，在会上她批评了共和党州长同僚的流行病政策，如口罩授权。
南卡罗来纳州也见证了其可能的竞争者访问份额。蓬佩奥将成为本月共和党州筹款活动的头条新闻。彭斯选择该州作为他卸任后首次公开演讲的地点。海莉已经在自己的家乡多次露面——她告诉美联社，如果特朗普参加竞选，她不会参加竞选——尽管她最近的旅行计划集中在她可能不太出名的其他州。
“我期待着加入杰夫和常识保守派在信仰与自由烧烤，”诺姆告诉美联社。“对我来说，站在保守的信念上不仅仅是夸夸其谈。”
邓肯的办公室说，虽然这个活动是一个资金筹集活动，但退伍军人、警卫、急救人员和他们的家人可以在他们还在的时候获得免费门票。
Noem to headline GOP event in early-voting South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, possibly mulling a 2024 White House bid, is making her debut in South Carolina next month — an introductory step in the first Southern state to cast Republican-primary votes for president.
Noem will speak Aug. 23 at the “Faith & Freedom BBQ” in Anderson, the event's host, U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, told The Associated Press on Friday.
According to Duncan, who represents South Carolina's 3rd District, the event is the state's largest annual gathering of Republicans. In the past it has attracted speakers including then-Vice President Mike Pence, Sens. Ted Cruz and Joni Ernst, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who also served in the Trump administration for two years as U.N. ambassador.
“Having served with Kristi Noem in Congress, I know first-hand that she is a fighter who believes government was created for the people, and that it shouldn’t run our lives,” Duncan told AP.
After four U.S. House terms, Noem in 2018 was elected governor, an office through which she moved to the forefront of state leaders across the country railing against government restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Like others possibly in the field, Noem has downplayed the prospect. When asked publicly about any White House ambitions, she has said her focus is on her 2022 gubernatorial reelection campaign.
But other actions — such as registering a federal political action committee and hopscotching through the early-voting states — suggest otherwise as Noem tries to carve out her niche among an early crowd of possible GOP rivals for the White House.
Noem, 49, has recently visited both Iowa and New Hampshire, as have Haley, Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Along with Pompeo, Florida Gov. Rick DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, she spoke at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, where she critiqued fellow Republican governors for pandemic policies such as mask mandates.
South Carolina has also seen its share of possible contender visits. Pompeo is set to headline a state GOP fundraiser this month. Pence chose the state as the site of his first public speech since leaving office. And Haley has made several appearances on her home turf — where she told AP she would not run if Trump entered the race — although her recent travel schedule has been focused on other states where she may not be as well-known.
“I am looking forward to joining Jeff and the commonsense conservatives at the Faith & Freedom BBQ,” Noem told AP. “Standing on conservative beliefs is more than rhetoric for me.”
While the event is a fundraiser, veterans, guardsmen, first responders and their families can obtain free tickets while they're still available, Duncan's office said.
