Report: Noem is the betting favorite as Trump’s VP. Hmm, ok, but just what is it that she brings to the ticket?

Stu Whitney at South Dakota News Watch just posted a piece that says Gov. Kristi Noem is the betting favorite to take the VP slot on Donald Trump’s ticket this November. Citing numbers posted on OddsChecker.com and PredictIt.org, the SDNW piece makes a pretty good case for Noem’s chances of getting the nod from Trump.

I suppose that the news shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to those of us who’ve followed Noem’s non-stop shows of fealty and devotion to Trump, but in terms of what might be considered “conventional” analysis, the idea of Noem joining Trump on the ticket doesn’t make much sense.

Actually, a Trump decision to put Noem up as his potential VP would say much about the substanceless nature of a Trump campaign.  

Noem’s policy experience and insights, if she has any, aren’t findable (readers, help me out here if you can), and she certainly doesn’t bring in any constituencies or electoral votes, considering she’s from a state that went for Trump nearly two to one in 2020.  

Her relentless anti-abortion creds aren’t likely to appeal to those coveted suburban women voters, who collectively account for a solid bloc of pro-choice vote and represent what is considered a “problem” for Republicans in 2024.

Then there’s her consistent, unmitigated attachment to the pro-gun segment of the electorate. Suburban women, highly concerned about gun violence, are once again going to be problematic for a Trump-Noem ticket. On this issue, those women are joined by younger voters, who favor stricter gun laws and won’t be much impressed by a Trump-Noem combo.

Then there’s that thing with Corey Lewandowski. I don’t know if it’s for real or not, but the way it has been splashed all over the media can’t be a political positive, particularly among that sizable contingent of evangelicals who are supposed to be in the Trump camp.

All of these considerations, along with the fact that Noem hasn’t shown any knowledge of economic affairs and foreign policy, has to make you wonder just what she brings to a national campaign. It’s not so much a matter of appealing to voters that are already “in the bag.”  It’s more about gathering support from a sizable segment of independent and swing voters. It’s hard to see Noem doing much for Trump among that part of the electorate. All I can figure is that she’d be on the ticket to fulfill her function as a photogenic clone.

John Tsitrian is a businessman and writer from the Black Hills.  He was a weekly columnist for the Rapid City Journal for 20 years.  His articles and commentary have also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Denver Post and The Omaha World-Herald.  Tsitrian served in the Marines for three years (1966-69), including a 13-month tour of duty as a radioman in Vietnam.