Noem's daughter leaving her job in the governor's office

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The daughter of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has announced she’s leaving her job as a policy analyst in the governor’s office.

The Argus Leader reports Kennedy Noem posted on Facebook that her last day was Friday. She said she’s moving to Tennessee in a few weeks to study for her masters in business administration degree.

Noem’s job in her mother’s administration stirred some controversy when it was announced in December 2018. She joined the governor’s office as a senior at South Dakota State University.

Her hiring prompted an anti-nepotism bill that failed during the 2019 legislative session and the controversy flared up later in 2019 when she received a raise and was making just over $59,000 annually.

The Republican governor’s son-in-law Kyle Peters, who is married to Noem’s other daughter, works for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and is paid about $60,000.