South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem declined to endorse in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, saying she does not see a "path to victory" for anyone but former President Donald Trump.
Noem, a popular GOP governor who won re-election last year, has herself been mentioned as a possible 2024 contender or as someone's potential running mate. But in an interview with KWAT radio, Noem said she is concentrating on South Dakota rather than campaigning for the White House like her neighbor, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who announced his candidacy for president this month.
"Wouldn't that be interesting? If there was South and North Dakota governors running for president? But now, right now, I am so focused on South Dakota," Noem said.
Noem revealed she's had discussions about 2024 with Burgum, who she said had asked for her support, calling him a "good guy" who is "working hard."
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"He might do well down in Iowa," she suggested, noting that the first-in-the-nation caucus state is a farmer state, like North Dakota, and that Burgum is "investing a ton of money" into the race.
But when asked if she'll make an endorsement, Noem flatly declined to do so.
"No, I don't think so. President Trump is in the race and right now I don't see a path to victory for anybody else with him in the race and the situation as it sits today," she said. "But I think people should saddle up — it could be a roller coaster of a presidential race."
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No fewer than 10 Republicans have stepped forward to challenge Trump for the GOP nomination, but the 77-year-old former president remains the front-runner and clear favorite. Trump has maintained a dominant lead in early primary polls despite a federal indictment for allegedly keeping classified documents, including national defense information, at his Florida social club and obstructing attempts to recover them.
Trump has maintained he did "nothing wrong" and called the various investigations into his alleged crimes a "hoax" led by his opponents running "election interference."
Still, there is a significant number of GOP voters who do not support Trump, and a lot can change if the field narrows to Trump and one or two other choices. Noem previously told Fox News Digital that Republicans need to nominate a candidate who can win.
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Asked in January if she’s not ruling anything out when it comes to a potential 2024 presidential run, Noem said "that’s fair to say" and she appeared to keep the door open in her comments Tuesday.
"I think it'll be unprecedented in what we'll see for developments," Noem said. "I know there's a lot of unknowns and the person that may win may not even be in the race yet."
Fox News' Rémy Numa and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
