Going to rip the bandaid off and get right to some of the topics. You may not want to discuss or may not want to discuss all the time. And then were gonna get right into not my first rodeo lessons from the heartland. Heartland. Youre brand new book. Have you ever thought generally speaking about running for president . Well people ask me about it quite a bit. So then of course you you have to but im really focused on staying in south dakota. Im running for reelection this year. Hope that people of our state trust me to serve them another four years and and thats really what my goal is beyond that. I i know we do need good leadership in this country. Im sure theres a lot of people that are interested in that job. Have you ever given specific thought to running for president in 2024 . No, i havent. You know people speculate. I think thats the nature of politics, but i specifically have not im not convinced that that has to be me in that position. Fair enough i wanted to ask you and do a little time traveling for just a moment. Were in the midst right now in washington and granted a lot of people look at what happens in washington and scratch their heads, but were in the midst right now of the special select committee in the house to examine what happened on january 6th 2021 on that day as you watch supporters of former President Donald Trump storm the capital in an effort to halt congressional certification of president , joe bidens victory. This is a building where you work for a number of years. What were you thinking that day as you watch that unfold . Oh, i think i was like many people i was grieved by what i was seeing. I think whats going on with the committees now and what we saw this week was discouraging a lot of the testimony was hearsay. Not necessarily factual and thats why i think theres so many things going on in this country with Inflation Energy costs. Things that are impacting families across the nation that i would love to see congress focus on those and do what they can to continue to make sure that we have an environment where people can feed their families pursue opportunities in the future for their careers and really protect their freedoms. Do you view President Trump as the undisputed leader of the Republican Party and if he chooses to run in 2024 amount of third White House Campaign should other republicans step aside. Well, you know ive spent a lot of time talking to people across the country and right now i dont believe theres anybody that can defeat President Trump in a in a republican primary. Hes got a group of individuals that are extremely loyal to him. Ive always supported all of his policies. I think his leadership was good for the country compared to what we have today. So, you know, itll be interesting to see how that shapes up over the next several years, but if you were to run hed certainly have my support. And i wanted to talk to you a little bit about the Republican Party. Generally, you know, i noticed this in the immediate aftermath of the 2020 election you deliver to speech at the Republican National committee at a meeting in georgia, and you were quite critical of how republicans in congress have operated at times and and you were critical of the partys inability from your point of view at times to deliver on campaign promises. Where do you think your party has fallen short . I think if you go back and you look at what i actually said there. Yes. I said that weve fallen short at times but i also said where we need to go what we need to do. Whats hopeful about the Republican Party. I think thats really what the countrys desperate for right now is some optimism, you know, if you look at my state of south dakota, what we did was basically what conservatives believe in the last several years. We had a very limited government role. We gave people flexibility. Let them use personal responsibility to make the best decisions for their families and their businesses, and now were economy is leading the nation we our children are doing better with educational outcomes and virtually anywhere in the country incomes are going up faster in our state than anywhere else and people are thriving more than they are in many of these other states. So leadership has consequences and republicans can be a party now that brings hope brings optimism and that really is what the people in this country need to be reminded of this is a very special country and so much. We see in the news is discouraging. I would prefer that we talk a lot about what our founders gave us in the blessings that we have. When you served in congress, if memory serves me correctly you entered with a brand new republican majority, but with a democrat still in the white house, and so i wanted to sort of get your insight on this, you know, republicans could have a very good november this year and beginning next january have majorities of some sort in the house. And in the senate at least the ability to put bills on the floor and and pass at least some of them through the house. What is your recommendation to your fellow republicans in congress who may be in Congress Next year in terms of how you deliver on what they believe the American People want, but how you also function in a political reality where democrats are still likely to have filibuster power in the senate to block house past bills and were president. Joe biden is still going to be in the white house with a veto pen. While the reality is is that the senate doesnt even necessarily have to talk about what the house is talking about. Thats whats so broken about washington dc. I talk about this quite a bit in my book. That just was released this week called not my first rodeo, but it talks about the dysfunction in washington dc and and when i did serve in congress the first couple of years there we did have barack obama and the white house and we learned how to figure out a way to get some things past a lot of what we wanted to do as republicans in the house did not get past but it was a check and balance to the system and what i believe the republicans in the house in the senate need to do is cast a vision for where were going not just be opposed to joe biden even though so many of his policies are bad for our country right now. I do think that we also have to be pretty clear on what were for and to be ready to take action. Should we have the opportunity to get congressional bills past and get them to the president s desk . And not my first rodeo lessons from the heartland you discuss a lot about what youre for and also talk a lot about your experiences, which i want to discuss in a minute, but do you think republicans outside of south dakota other than yourself have done a good job casting a vision for what republicans will do with new majorities if they win them in november. I think it depends on the republican. You know it and what what their message is. There are some that are talking about what they would like to do. There are many that want to get the regulations off our backs do better trade agreements really address National Security concerns, you know, make sure were leading again through peace through strength. Those are all things they talk about, you know, i know the house of representatives specific has been messaging what they would do if they were to get the house back i think governing is incredibly important and also keeping perspective. So many people have been successful in the past running for office when they talked about what the people at home care about. We saw a new governor get elected in virginia by focusing on what people cared about in the communities throughout that state not getting diverted down National Political divisive topics, but focusing on what his people cared about and is the kids and the education they were getting so that really is a discipline that i think we all could learn as public servants. Is that even though what we think may be the conversation to be having its really what the people at home want us to focus on that we should be looking at. Good. All right, lets get lets get into your book and you know, if if you havent written one of these things before not always as easy as it might appear a little experience with that myself. And so i i just wanted to ask you off the top not my first rodeo lessons from the heartland. What is your book about . Well, most people would assume that its just a political book. You know that it voices all of my opinions on the political topics of the day, but its really more a story of my life lived so far what ive learned over the years Leadership Qualities from the heartland, you know, how i grew up on a ranch in what the very big presence in my life. My dad taught me by having a strong work ethic. We dont complain about things we fix them also my time in the state legislature how i made Big Decisions in my life, and i think a lot of people first heard my name during covid, but its important for them to know that that wasnt my first rodeo. That wasnt my first challenge i went through i did have a life before that and served in congress and some of those experiences along the way i think will give people a little better understanding about how i make my decisions when it comes to this Public Office that i hold today as well. Not my first rodeo lessons from the heartland opens with i think my favorite story of yours and as they pay me to do this. I have heard it, but i bet you a lot of people have not out at least outside of south dakota have not heard this story and i want to i want to go to your words and its chapter one and i thought it was fitting and just given how often you talk about this in terms of how its shaped you chapter one is titled the tapes and you start the book like this. I dont know why im doing this. He said over the cackles of the tape recorder. I guess ill go check cows. Click the tape stopped. That was the end. I couldnt believe what i just heard what i had just found what i held in my hands and what a gift it was. Suddenly. I knew everything would be okay or was going to be okay. Excuse me. We were going to get through this. Governor dont talk about this story fill it in for us and why its such a poignant moment in your life. Well, most people wonder how i got involved in Government Politics to begin with i dont come from a political family. Nobody ever been really that interested in government. Nobody run for office, and it was a very strange route for me to take growing up. Just wanting to graduate from college go home and be in business on the farm and ranch with my dad. So it really was a big life changer for me when my dad was killed in an accident on our family operation and it was i was 22 years old at the time my older brother and sister were living out of state my younger brother still in high school. I ended up putting college coming home and becoming the general manager of a Large Business had a lot of people working for me and over and over again at the age of 22. I was wishing that i could just ask my dad questions. I had been working all the time trying to figure out how to keep the business together. We were hit with death taxes trying to figure out how to pay that bill when we didnt have any money in the bank and you know for for months i struggled and wondered if wed be okay and then one day i decided id finally clean out my dads pick up which is where he kind of ran everything out of you know, if most ranchers and farmers live out of their pick up trucks and i these little dictation tape, so micro cassette recorder and these tapes and when i started to play them it was my dads voice and on these tapes were answers to all the questions that i wished. Id had over the several months previous. It was what variety of seed corn worked best on what soil type what what cattle bread best and did well in our climate what neighbors to trust which ones were good friends what to do if we ever got into financial trouble even he talked about as kids what he thought we would be when we grew up and some of those tapes were almost 10 years old. Hed moved them from pick up to pick up over the years and my dad wasnt a talker. So it was just shock to me to find Something Like that. Nobody had any idea he was doing Something Like that and and i was just amazed at the fact that the answer to every question i could have possibly had was on those tapes. It was like a prayer prayer delivered and answered and at that moment. I felt a i guess a piece that passes all understanding. It was it was almost like i just knew that. If god cared enough to give me all the answers to those questions and we were going to be fine. Itd be taking care of. Talk about the farm a little bit. How big is it . What do you farm . How long has it been in the family . Well, you know, its been in the family for generations. You know, my my dad grew up on the operation. I live on the ranch, which my dad purchased probably when i was about 12 or 13 years old. Thats about 15 miles away from where the original farm is, but its very special land, you know, my grandfather first bought the first piece of land, you know by not having any even two dollars he could scrape together. He started actually a mink in fox farm and started to raise money that way to buy their First Quarter of land and so i come from a family that recognized the value of owning something. In fact, my dad said all the time christy dont sell land god isnt making any more land and really your whole estate. What what your legacy was was tied up in in the land that you could pass on to your children and your grandchildren. So its a special place. It was always more than just a place to call home. It was a place where our family had its roots our foundation. Out my first rodeo lessons from the heartland you talk about a moment where you and your dad took a drive to what you referred to in the the book as native land and you got real excited about it. And then he said oh, yeah, i bought it. Is that the ranch . Thats where i live. Yes and in our part of the state, its very rare to find native ground native ground is land. Thats never been turned. Its never been plowed. Its the same as it would have been hundreds of years ago, and its very special even in south dakota. Theres certain native flowers our state flower the past only grows on native ground once you turn it itll never grow there again, and so id always treasured rough. Prairie like that and it was i remember being very young and my dads showing me this special place of hundreds and hundreds of acres. That was all native and saying i wanted to live there someday in debt said well, i bought it its its mine and me asking him if i could live there someday and him saying well. Someday, ill let you buy it from me. You know, there was no free lunch in my dads world. So i eventually did and my husband and i still live there today. Fascinating what what are the Different Things that you farm and who runs the farm today . Well today my brothers do what happened was when i went to congress, you know, my us four siblings all worked together in partnership with my mom for many many years, but when i went to congress i was going to be gone a lot and obviously spending my time in other entities so my brothers at that time bought us my sister and i out of the business operation. We still have equity in the land and other things but they run the the business and they do the farming now today. The book is not my first rodeo lessons from the heartland of the author is governor christie nome of south dakota, you know, a lot of children will grow up in a Family Business and either reject the Family Business or just not want to go into the same line of work as their parents. Did this is something that you embraced and i was trying to get a sense of how much this was a matter of circumstance for you giving your fathers accident or or whether this is something ultimately decided. Loved enough to want to do before you found your current vocation. Well, i would say my dad and i were a lot of like in fact my brother says if you want to know what my dad was like spend a day with christy so, you know at times that was wonderful. My dream was farming and ranching for the rest of my life at other times. Both of us have very strong personalities and and we both kind of wanted to be in charge too. So, i dont know what that would have looked like into the future, but but yeah, i did not think that i could ever be happy not farming and ranching my passion is animals. I love the land. I love being outdoors the fact that i do what i do today is very strange was never on my radar so my plan was always to be involved in the Family Business the fact that im not today is a very unique circumstance. You spend a lot of time in not my first rodeo talking about your parents. Who are they . Where do they come from . How did they meet . Well, my dad, you know grew up in the same area as my mom my mom grew up in watertown, which was about 20 miles away. So both from south dakota both from the northeastern corner. My dad was a raised out in the country farming and raising cattle. My mom was a city girl. So and what does that mean in south dakota . Well, it means that the town was probably 15 to 20,000 people. So no probably not a city girl and terms of what a lot of the country thinks, but she had she certainly had a 4h and had showed cattle before so i guess thats still doesnt make her quite the city girl that a lot of people would say, but she certainly had never run tractors and live the kind of life that my dad had required when she married him. In fact, she says when she got married she moved out to the farm and was so lonely because it was so far away from her family, you know, they only went into town on sundays really and she immediately was put in a tractor. She had no idea what to do. It was out of her element. So i think they met, you know through high school friends, but quickly fell in love got married and my moms whole life became then were running the business with my dad. He worked so hard all the time. She was kind of the peacemaker in the family. Shes the one who kept us alive. He was always coming in the house and saying lets go. Lets go lets go and she was the one shoving food in our pockets to saying here eat this on the way to the field or eat this on the way to to haul cattle and and taking care of us kids and and running parts and stuff around the country supporting the business as well.