The man challenging incumbent Republican Congresswoman Kristi Noem charges that Noem has failed to show up for dozens of important committee meetings in Washington DC. Democrat Matt Varilek is running against Noem. He says Nome attended only five out of twenty two Native American Subcommittee meetings. Varilek also points to Noem’s four out of twenty attendance record at past Ag committee meetings. But Noem fires back with her 99-percent committee voting record. SDPB’s Charles Michael Ray has this story.
Matt Varilek charges that Kristi Noem only started attending more committee meetings after criticism began during the campaign. Varilek says Noem has frequently skipped all her assigned committee meetings on a given day. He says she even missed meetings when South Dakotan’s were testifying.
“This is absolutely a key measure of job performance weather you bother to show up for committee meetings and then weather you’re there you bother to speak up on behalf of South Dakota,” says Verilek.
But Congresswoman Noem points to her 99 percent voting record on the 12 different committees she serves on. She calls the attack a false issue.
“My voting record speaks for itself and you know I wake up every day and prioritize my meetings and put the best interests of South Dakotan’s above attending other subcommittee meetings that may have no impact on our state,” says Noem.
The two candidates face each other in the November Election for South Dakota’s lone U.S. House seat.