Colorado’s county Republican Party groups are responding to reports that South Dakota governor and potential Republican vice presidential candidate Kristi Noem mentioned killing her dog in an upcoming book. announced that it would cancel a fundraising event featuring the
Nancy Palozzi, chairwoman of the Jefferson County Republican Party, said in a statement Friday that the organization’s fundraising dinner, scheduled for Saturday, had been canceled due to “safety concerns” between the organization, the governor and his staff, and the hotel hosting the rally. “Due to concerns,” the event is being canceled. He received “numerous threats and/or death threats” during the incident.
“After discussions with the Governor’s Office late Wednesday, we mutually determined that safety is the most important concern for all involved,” Palozzi said. “Denver West Marriott also received disturbing comments and shared our deep concerns for the safety and security of event attendees, other guests, and staff.”
Palozzi said Noem was confirmed to be the keynote speaker at the Jefferson County Republican Party’s annual fundraiser in early April after the party sent out invitations in January.
Late last month, the Guardian published an article describing how Noem took her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, to a gravel pit to be shot after concluding that she was “worthless” and “untrainable.” That was before it was announced.
Palozzi’s statement said her group “has not taken a position on the public outcry over the Governor’s book,” and that Noem “takes a stand on our constitutional rights, our freedoms, and our platform.” “We have stood up and continue to stand up in defiance of certain governments,” added the Republican. ”
Palozzi told NBC News in a phone interview that the decision was not made lightly.
“This is a loss for us,” Palozzi said. “This was meant to be a fundraiser, and now we’re out thousands of dollars.”
Palozzi said the group is offering “full refunds” for tickets and has 300 copies of Noem’s books that the publisher specifically authorized to be released at the event. Noem was also scheduled to sign autographs and take photos.
The group continues to negotiate with Noem. It is not immediately clear whether the event with the governor will be rescheduled.
A spokesperson for Noem did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment Friday night.
Noem said in a Fox News interview Wednesday that the dog was “very dangerous.”
“This dog came to us from a family who found it too aggressive,” Noem said, adding that the dog had “slaughtered” the neighbor’s livestock on the day it was killed.
Noem initially responded to criticism over her writing about cricket. Post to X Noem’s social media response was written above a screenshot of a Guardian article that obtained a copy of Noem’s book, “No Going.” ‘Back’ is scheduled to be released next week.
NBC News has not obtained a copy of Noem’s book and has not independently verified the Guardian’s description of her dog.
Noem is widely seen as one of the front-runners to be President Trump’s running mate. South Dakota’s governor, who has been in office since 2019, previously served as the state’s sole representative in Congress.
