WASHINGTON (AP) South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem endorsed former President Donald Trump at a party fundraiser in South Dakota Friday night that doubled as an opportunity for Noem to showcase herself as a potential vice presidential pick.

As his rivals held town halls and meet-and-greets in early voting states, Trump was headlining the South Dakota Republican Party s Monumental Leaders Rally in Rapid City. Noem appeared alongside the former president at the paid event, creating an image that Noems allies had hoped would look like a presidential ticket, according to two senior Republicans familiar with her thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement.

I will do everything I can to help him win and save this country, Noem said as she formerly offered her endorsement before Trump took the stage. She said that all the Republican presidential candidates had been invited to the event. All of them told us that they had better things to do. But when President Trump was invited to come be with you tonight, he said, I will be there, she said.