Republican Kristi Noem again passes the 50% mark of support this month against incumbent Democrat Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin in the race for South Dakota’s only House seat.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Noem picking up 51% support against Herseth-Sandlin, who receives 42% of the vote. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, and five percent (5%) are undecided.
The latest numbers mark an improvement for the Republican challenger from the 49% to 44% lead she held in July. The month before, right after her Republican Primary win, Noem, a member of the state House of Representatives, jumped out to a 53% to 41% lead over Herseth-Sandlin.
This is the second time the challenger has crossed the critical 50% mark in matchups with the incumbent. Herseth-Sandlin in several months of surveys has come close only one time, picking up 49% support in February.
While voters in the state perceive ideological differences between the candidates, most think both women's views are in the mainstream. Both candidates also are generally viewed favorably by most South Dakota voters. But Herseth-Sandlin, who was reelected with 67% of the vote in 2008, faces a difficult political environment and uncertainty in the state about the economy.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Noem picking up 51% support against Herseth-Sandlin, who receives 42% of the vote. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, and five percent (5%) are undecided.
The latest numbers mark an improvement for the Republican challenger from the 49% to 44% lead she held in July. The month before, right after her Republican Primary win, Noem, a member of the state House of Representatives, jumped out to a 53% to 41% lead over Herseth-Sandlin.
This is the second time the challenger has crossed the critical 50% mark in matchups with the incumbent. Herseth-Sandlin in several months of surveys has come close only one time, picking up 49% support in February.
While voters in the state perceive ideological differences between the candidates, most think both women's views are in the mainstream. Both candidates also are generally viewed favorably by most South Dakota voters. But Herseth-Sandlin, who was reelected with 67% of the vote in 2008, faces a difficult political environment and uncertainty in the state about the economy.
