He’s now receiving bipartisan praise as a South Dakota-focused conservative well-versed in how the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature works. President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday he would nominate Noem, 52, as the next U.S. homeland ...

"He's legitimately legit," said Republican state Rep. Greg Jamison, of Sioux Falls, one of five House majority whips, calling Rhoden "a real reflection on South Dakota and how anybody from across the country would perceive our state."

In a statement on Tuesday evening, Trump heralded Noem for deploying her state's National Guard to the southern border. He said that she would work closely with his newly appointed "border czar" to secure the United States' southern border.