A South Dakota lawmaker who is running for governor faced backlash Thursday from Gov. Kristi Noem and female legislators after he used a derogatory term for a woman during a speech on the House floor.
Republican Rep. Steve Haugaard described a woman whom he did not name but said was addicted to methamphetamine as a “wrung-out whore." At the time, Haugaard was speaking against a bill that would allow physician assistants and advanced nurse practitioners to recommend medical marijuana, which he described as a gateway drug.
Haugaard's use of the term drew an audible reaction from lawmakers on the floor, who called for a “point of order,” and he was told to keep his comments to the bill at hand. Haugaard later apologized on the House floor.
He told reporters the comment “was intended to make the point of how devastating drugs are for so many people.”
Haugaard said he knew the woman, though offered no further details, and said: “The reason I use those words is that’s where she found herself. That’s what she described to me.”
But female lawmakers in both parties spoke out against Haugaard, a former House speaker who is mounting a Republican primary challenge against Noem as a more conservative option
“I doubted my ability to compose myself,” Republican Rep. Tamara St. John posted on Twitter after Haugaard's comments. “I stand by the young women who struggle and have addiction problems.”
Democratic Rep. Erin Healy said that “a line was crossed on the House floor," adding that “misogyny” and “aggression towards women” shouldn't be allowed in the Legislature.
She said he should have been gaveled down after making the comment.
Noem said in a statement she was appalled by Haugaard's language and called on legislators to reprimand and censure him.
