Tim Walz and Kristi Noem once had a warm working relationship. Now it’s gone ice cold

These days, the only thing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem seem to have in common is that they’re both former-members-of-Congress-turned-Midwestern-governors.

These days, the only thing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem seem to have in common is that they’re both former-members-of-Congress-turned-Midwestern-governors. Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, is a darling of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, while Noem, once seen as a potential vice presidential contender for former President Donald Trump, is most comfortable in the more conservative circles of the GOP. Since Walz’s rise to Democratic VP nominee, Noem has been bashing her governing neighbor as a “radical” who criticized her efforts to maintain “freedom” during the height of the Covid pandemic. But just a decade ago, Walz and Noem, then colleagues in the House of Representatives, had a far different rapport, cosponsoring legislation, taking selfies and kindly speaking of the other. Over a decade ago, as they taped a short video together touting a prairie lands bill, they were more than just a little gracious with each other. “It’s a smart bill and I’m grateful to the Congresswoman both as we share similar geography out there, and while our producers are great stewards of the land, we share that land with our sportsmen and making sure that we have those resources available,” Walz, then a congressman at the time, said as he sat on a couch with Noem. “I love working with Tim just because he’s got such a commonsense approach, which I like too,” Noem said. Compare that to Noem’s words about Walz in recent weeks.