Saturday, September 13, 2008

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In South Dakota, John McCain leads Barack Obama by just four percentage points. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds McCain with 44% of the vote and Obama with 40%. When “leaners” are included, it’s still a four-point race--McCain 47% Obama 43%.

South Dakota is one state where McCain is struggling among Republican voters. He earns the vote from just 71% of the GOP faithful while Obama is supported by 21%. Another 6% say they would opt for a third-party option.

McCain leads by fourteen among men but trails by five among women. As in other states, McCain does best among regular churchgoers while Obama is strong among those who rarely or never attend services.

McCain is viewed favorably by 62% of South Dakota voters, Obama by 54%.

Twenty-six percent (26%) believe McCain is too old to be President while 45% say Obama is too inexperienced.

Sixty-six percent (66%) of voters favor offshore oil drilling and 60% believe it’s likely that such an action will bring down the price of gas and oil. Those figures are not too far from the national average.

Fifty-one percent (51%) say that it’s more important to get troops home from Iraq than it is to win the war. Forty-one percent (41%) disagree and say victory is more important. Those figures are similar to the national average. Forty percent (40%) of voters now believe it is possible for the U.S. to win in Iraq, up eight points from a year ago.

Sixty percent (60%) of South Dakota voters pulled the lever for George W. Bush four years ago but just over half that number—33%--now say he is doing a good or an excellent job.

Rasmussen Reports had polled in South Dakota just once before this season. In March, McCain led Obama by ten.

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