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Election 2010: South Dakota House of Representatives

South Dakota House: Noem (R) Takes Slightly Larger Lead Over Herseth-Sandlin (D)

Republican Kristi Noem has moved slightly further ahead of incumbent Democrat Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin in South Dakota’s election for the U.S. House of Representatives.

The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Noem, a state legislator, picking up 49% of the vote, while Herseth-Sandlin draws support from 44%. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, and five percent (5%) are still undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

Earlier this month, Noem moved to a 47% to 44% edge after slipping behind in September. Since winning the GOP Primary in June, Noem has been slightly ahead of Herseth-Sandlin in every survey but one with 45% to 53% support. The incumbent has earned 41% to 47% of the vote in that same period and held a slight lead only once, 47% to 45% in early September, following news reports about Noem's driving record.

Herseth-Sandlin was elected to Congress in 2004 following the resignation of GOP Congressman Bill Janklow who was convicted of manslaughter after he killed a motorcyclist while running a stop sign at high speed.
 
 Despite being one of the few Democrats in Congress to vote against the national health care bill, Herseth-Sandlin is contending with an electorate that’s very unhappy with President Obama and his policies.
 
 (Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

This statewide telephone survey of 500 Likely Voters in South Dakota was conducted on October 20, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/-4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Which candidate do South Dakota voters see as more extreme? Do debates matter to most voters in the state? Become a Platinum member to find out.

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