In the South Dakota Senate race, former Congressman John Thune attracts 49% of the vote while Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle earns 46%.

Two weeks ago, the race was tied at 49%. In every Rasmussen Reports survey this fall, the candidates have been within a few points of each other, so the race remains a Toss-Up in our Senate Overview.

The telephone survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on Tuesday, October 25, 2004. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Supplemental data is available for Rasmussen Reports Premium Members.

The survey also found President Bush leading Senator Kerry in the state by a solid 54% to 42% margin. This has no impact on our Electoral College projections since South Dakota is already in the GOP column.

The President's Job Approval rating in the state is at 56%, several points above his national average.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of South Dakota voters have a favorable opinion of Daschle. That's down from 54% in our previous survey.

Fifty-six percent (56%) have a favorable opinion of Thune. That's down a point from our previous survey.

At the top of the ticket, 58% have a favorable opinion of President Bush compared to 46% for Senator Kerry.

Rasmussen Reports is an independent public opinion research firm that provides daily updates on the Presidential election and the nation's economic confidence. We also update our Electoral College projections on a regular basis.

Rasmussen Reports has recently released state election polls for Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington, Virginia, and Wisconsin.