South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem sought top NRA position: report

Noem is no stranger to the NRA, having appeared at numerous conventions alongside the group's top brass.

According to the outlet, Noem was gunning to be the next executive vice president or CEO of the gun lobby and even called now-former NRA CEO Wayne Lapierre asking him to hype her up to the board as the best choice for his replacement.

While Noem's name did come up in discussions after LaPierre resigned in January, it was unclear what the 76-person board, many of whom had been nominated by LaPierre himself, thought of her.

Andrew Arulanandam was eventually chosen to fill the role of interim CEO and executive vice president.

In a statement to Axios, Noem's spokesman Ian Fury "unequivocally" denied that she had spoken with LaPierre about a position at the NRA.

"She loves her job as Governor of South Dakota," Fury added.

Noem had also been floated as a potential vice president pick for Donald Trump, however recent events have made it unlikely.

Last month, it was revealed via her new book that she had killed one of her puppies out of fear his "aggressive personality" would result in harm after the dog allegedly attacked some chickens. She also said that the dog attempted to bite her.

Noem explained that she had taken the little dog out to a gravel pit and fatally shot him. One of her goats also suffered the same fate.

Despite her attempts to justify the decision and put it in context, she was roundly criticized with many questioning why she had gone public with such a controversial story.