Dakotas poised for newfound political prominence with Senate, Trump Cabinet leaders picked from heartland

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Dakota State University president speaks out on the heartland's new political prominence

Dakota State University President José-Marie Griffiths talks about how senators Thune and Rounds and governors Noem and Burgum are primed to be in top federal positions.

In 2025, the Trump administration and Congress are poised to represent a significant realignment of political power, moving 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, R-S.D., figures to hold a top cybersecurity subcommittee post.

In that regard, Dakota State University President José-Marie Griffiths, who has advised Noem, Burgum and other regional figures, particularly on cybersecurity issues, said it's about time the region received attention.

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"These people all have a worldview that's much larger than just the middle of the country, obviously. But it's nice to know that the voices of the people in this part of the country will be heard and presumably considered and taken into account on a larger scale," she said.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (Getty)

During Bill Clinton’s first run for president, his top strategist James Carville called Pennsylvania "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in the middle," which led to "Pennsyltucky" becoming part of the national lexicon as a punchline.

Recent legislative leaders also hailed largely from California and New York with Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell being an exception.

In her interview with Fox News Digital, Griffiths added that the idea of bringing more prominence both institutionally and occupationally to the heartland does have a few proponents on the coasts.

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She noted Rep. Ro Khanna’s past comments about expanding his district’s "Silicon Valley" economy to other underserved parts of the country. The Democrat visited rural Kentucky and West Virginia to support emerging tech programs and to study how the private sector and federal funds can enhance such efforts.

"No person should be forced to leave their hometown to get a new economy job," Khanna previously said.

On Friday, Griffiths added that in the 7,000-person town of Madison, South Dakota, where she lives and works, people are happy with their environs and don’t wish to relocate to Khanna’s California or commercial hubs like New York with its population of 8.3 million.

Doug Burgum and Donald Trump (AP)

"We have a tremendous number of really good young people in this part of the world," she said. "They want to [stay] here, and we want to make sure that there's opportunity for them to do the kinds of work that they're well qualified for."

Griffiths isn’t the only South Dakotan anxious to see what the new year brings for her region.

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., who represents the entire state in Congress, spoke briefly on the matter after a meeting with DOGE figureheads Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Thursday.

One proposal from DOGE proponents is to shift bureaucratic power outside of Washington, D.C., to areas where its work is relevant and people can interact better with agencies.

"The U.S. Forest Service should be moved to Rapid City, South Dakota," Johnson said.

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"The Black Hills of South Dakota offer an incredible natural resource, and it is a forest that has faced all of the major challenges facing our forests across this country. I would tell you the people in the Black Hills love that forest, and they want to make sure that it exists for generations."

Johnson said it would be easier to move the agency, founded by former Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Gifford Pinchot and long anchored in Washington, closer to the areas it affects.

Meanwhile, Griffiths said that with Noem potentially succeeding Alejandro Mayorkas, a South Dakotan will be primed to shift more attention to the issue of cybersecurity in the regionally relevant agriculture sector.

"Not only does she have the borders to protect, but there's a strong cybersecurity component to her mandate there. And then Doug being in Interior and chairing that Energy Council energy consortium will be very, very interesting because that also goes to support the efforts in terms of having the United States retain its lead role in new and emerging technologies," Griffiths said, noting DSU is a STEM university.

Ag committee member Dusty Johnson, R-S.D. (Reuters)

To the 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 is also encouraged by the federal leadership shift.

"We are excited that the Dakotas will have an even more significant influence on the path our country takes," Jorritsma said Friday.

"President-elect Trump continues to show his support for 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 by these individuals, representing not only the Midwest, but advancing the values that have been foundational to the success of our entire nation."

Fox News Digital reached out to Burgum, Noem, Rounds and Thune, but did not receive responses by press time. 

Fox News Digital's Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.