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By 2025, the Trump administration and Congress are poised to represent a significant realignment of political power, shifting its focus from the east and west coasts to the heartland after decades of coastal dominance.
Republicans chose Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as majority leader of the upper legislative chamber.
President-elect Trump nominated South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead Homeland Security and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior. Sen. Mike Rounds, RS.D., is listed for a prominent position on the cybersecurity subcommittee.
In this regard, Dakota State University President José-Marie Griffiths, who has advised Noem, Burgum and other regional figures, particularly on cyber security issues, said it was about time the region received attention.
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“All these people have a view of the world that’s much bigger than just half the country, obviously. But it’s good to know that the voices of people in this part of the country will be heard and presumably be considered and taken into account on a larger scale,” he said.
Governor of South Dakota. Kristi Noem (Getty)
During Bill Clinton’s first bid for the presidency, his chief strategist James Carville called Pennsylvania “Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in the middle,” leading to “Pennsyltucky” becoming part of the national lexicon as a point of reference
Recent legislative leaders also come largely from California and New York, with the exception of Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell.
In his interview with Fox News Digital, Griffiths added that the idea of giving more prominence both institutionally and at work to the heart does have some defenders on the coasts.
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He pointed to Rep. Ro Khanna’s earlier comments about the expansion of his district’s “Silicon Valley” economy into other underserved parts of the country. The Democrat visited rural Kentucky and West Virginia to support emerging technology programs and to study how the private sector and federal funds can enhance these efforts.
“No person should be forced to leave their hometown to get a job in a new economy,” Khanna said. said previously.
On Friday, Griffiths added that in the town of 7,000 in Madison, South Dakota, where he lives and works, people are happy with their surroundings and don’t want to move to Khanna’s California or to commercial centers like New York with the its population of 8.3 million.
Doug Burgum and Donald Trump (AP)
“We have a large number of very good young people in this part of the world,” he said. “They want to (stay) here and we want to make sure there’s an opportunity to do the kind of work they’re well-qualified for.”
Griffiths isn’t the only South Dakotan eager to see what the new year brings to her region.
Rep. Dusty Johnson, RSD, who represents the entire state in Congress, spoke briefly on the matter after a meeting with DOGE officials. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday.
One proposal by DOGE advocates is to move bureaucratic power out of Washington, DC, into areas where its work is relevant and people can better interact with the agencies.
“The US Forest Service should move to Rapid City, South Dakota,” Johnson said.
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“The Black Hills of South Dakota offer an incredible natural resource, and it’s a forest that has faced all the great challenges facing the forests of this country. I would tell you that the people of the Black Hills love this forest and want to make sure it exists for generations.”
Johnson said it would be easier to move the agency, founded by former Republican Pennsylvania Gov. Gifford Pinchot and long anchored in Washington, closer to the areas it affects.
Meanwhile, Griffiths said with Noem potentially succeeding Alejandro Mayorkas, a South Dakotan will be poised to bring more attention to the issue of cybersecurity in the regionally relevant agriculture sector.
“Not only does he have the borders to protect, but there’s a strong cybersecurity component to his mandate there. And then Doug being at Interior and chairing the Energy Council’s energy consortium will be very, very interesting because that also serves to give support efforts in terms of America maintaining its leading role in new and emerging technologies,” Griffiths said, noting that DSU is a STEM university.
Ag Committee Member Dusty Johnson, RS.D. (Reuters)
Up north, Mark Jorritsma of the North Dakota Family Alliance, which works to “strengthen faith, family and freedom” and works closely with state leaders, said he’s also encouraged by the change of federal leadership.
“We’re excited for the Dakotas to have an even more significant influence on the path our country takes,” Jorritsma said Friday.
“President-elect Trump continues to show his support for the things that have made our country great: an abundance of resources and energy, the importance of the agricultural sector, and an emphasis on faith, family and freedom.
“We look forward to strong leadership from these individuals, who represent not only the Midwest, but will advance the values that have been central to the success of our entire nation.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Burgum, Noem, Rounds and Thune, but did not hear back by press time.
