WASHINGTON – For almost a year on the campaign
trail, Republican Kristi Noem hammered at how
things got done in Washington.
On Monday, the newly elected congresswoman from
South Dakota began learning the basics of her new
job on Capitol Hill in that much-maligned city.
The Castlewood rancher and mother of three won’t
be sworn in until Jan. 5, but she and more than 90
House freshmen – the vast majority of them
Republican – are in town this week to meet with their
senior colleagues, find out what’s expected of them
and start assembling their congressional
operations.
Sticking with people she knows
Noem defeated Democratic incumbent Stephanie
Herseth Sandlin in a nationally watched contest by
painting her opponent as an out-of-touch
Washington insider. So how does she avoid the
same pitfall in a town known for schmoozing by
lobbyists, closed-door deals and the lure of the
national political scene?
“You surround yourself with people that have always
known you, that remind (you) why I ran, why I’m
serving and what this country really needs,” Noem
said during a break from freshman orientation. “You
have to be home in your district a lot as well, to
remember what’s important to them and work for
them. That’s why my family’s still going to continue
to live in Castlewood and why I’ll be commuting
back and forth.”
This month’s elections yielded a crop of
conservative newcomers proud of their limited
political experience and their plans to shake up
Washington.
“Our job now is to make sure we don’t fumble the
ball,” said Republican Steve Womack, the mayor of
Rogers, Ark., and a newly elected congressman.
“We’re going to be aggressive and try to hold even
some of the veteran members of our caucus
accountable. With the size of our class, let me tell
you, they’re going to pay attention to us because
there are a lot of new faces out there, a lot of
numbers.”
Hunting for modest home in D.C.
Noem and colleagues spent the first day of their
weeklong orientation learning about ethical
conduct, pay and benefits, and how to set up a
congressional office. Her husband, Bryon, is
attending a seminar for spouses today and will
investigate Washington real estate options for the
days his wife will have to stay in the nation’s capital.
“I’m a little concerned,” Kristi Noem joked. “They’re
going to send Bryon to go find me something and
he’s pretty thrifty. It might be a closet somewhere.”
Noem must still get her committee assignments and
find out whether she’ll be elected to a leadership
post by the GOP House freshman class. She’s vying
with Tim Scott of South Carolina to be freshman
liaison to House GOP leaders, one of five positions
her class will fill.
On the campaign trail, Democrats portrayed Noem
as a tea party activist, but Noem said she’s not sure
whether she’ll join the Tea Party Caucus, one of
dozens of in-house groups that members sign up
for based on interests or shared causes.
“There’s a sportsman caucus that I’m looking at
pretty seriously,” said Noem, who enjoys hunting.
Some South Dakota Democrats are worried that
Noem’s politics will be too conservative for most
voters in the state. Erin McCarrick, executive director of the state Democratic Party, suggests
Noem to remember all of her constituents. He
criticized her for seeking a leadership role in the
GOP freshman class.
“Kristi represents all of South Dakota, not just the
extreme right or the freshman class,” McCarrick said
in a statement. “Taking on leadership roles and
becoming a tea party darling will make that commute
from South Dakota hard. South Dakota deserves
someone working for us, and Kristi is clearly
putting her own political gain first.”
Conservative groups spar over freshmen
Before new members could even check into their
hotel in Washington on Sunday, a tea party group
and some familiar Washington figures were fighting
openly for the attention of freshmen with dueling
orientation seminars.
One seminar was organized by Tea Party Patriots, an
online group. The other was hosted by a group of
freshmen, lobbyists and a conservative think tank –
the Claremont Institute.
The tea party group accused the Claremont Institute
of trying to “steal our freshmen” and urged
supporters to call new members and tell them to
attend the “right” orientation.
While they met inside the Capitol, a group of tea
party activists rallied outside. Their signs called for
the repeal of the health care law and suggested
Democratic policies were communistic.
“Deadlock is better than heading the wrong
direction,” said John Blazek, a 46-year-old steel
worker from Maryland, who said he doesn’t want
compromise.
Contact Ledyard King at lking@gannett.com. Tribune
Washington Bureau reporters Kathleen Hennessey
and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
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