Then, 2012 happened. He gave a keynote speech at the Republican National Convention that spent much of the time talking about himself rather than making the case for the presidential nominee. Later that year, he welcomed Obama’s help with Hurricane Sandy, and even though the “hug” never technically happened, the timing of his at least political embrace of Obama — just days before the election — effectively made Christie dead to many conservatives. Only after that did the Fort Lee bridge scandal occur.

His presidential candidacy was mainly remembered for helping to torpedo Senator Marco Rubio in the New Hampshire debate. But running interference for Trump merely set him up for one humiliation after another.

It seems like Noem is experiencing a rapid fall herself.

In 2020, a dire year for conservatives for many reasons, Noem became a bit of a cult hero on the right for standing up to the media and resisting COVID-19 restrictions. There was a high death toll in her state, but the deaths per capita were lower than several other states that were more locked down, including New York, where until recently, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s performance was praised by the media.