Kristi Noem says South Dakota ad campaign has thousands interested in moving there

(The Center Square) - More than 6,000 people are considering packing their bags and moving to South Dakota because of the state's "Freedom Works Here" ad campaign, Gov. Kristi Noem said Friday.

The governor said the most responses to the $5 million advertising campaign came during the week of Aug. 20, when an advertisement featuring Noem as an electrician debuted on Fox News during the Republican Presidential Debate. Previous ads feature Noem as a dentist and plumber.

“South Dakota businesses are starting to reap the benefits of this workforce recruitment campaign,” Noem said in a news release.

Nearly 1,300 people are in the final stages of moving to South Dakota, she said. Most responses are from California--959, followed by Texas with 448 and Florida with 445.

Noem said businesses are beginning to fill open jobs because of the campaign.

Eighty-two out-of-state workers were hired by Demkota Beef in Aberdeen, according to the news release. Watertown's Glacial Lakes Rubber & Plastics has whittled its job openings from 40 to 10.

The funding for the campaign is coming from the state's Future Fund, Amelia Joy, Noem's press secretary, told The Center Square previously. The Future Fund, overseen by the Governor's Office of Economic Development, was developed after the recession in the early 1980s to "invest in South Dakota’s workforce and build its economy."

The campaign, which also includes digital advertising and direct mail, ends this weekend.