According to a non-partisan poll from South Dakota State University, incumbent Kristi Noem leads challenger Jamie Smith by just three points in the race for governor.
The SDSU Poll is a non-partisan research unit of the political science program. It’s housed in the School of American and Global Studies at SDSU. David Wiltse, Ph.D., is director.
“The governor had a lead 45 to 42 over Jamie Smith, which puts that right in that margin of error," Wiltse says. "So this is within just a few points of each other — a very close race.”
In the race for U.S. Senate, 51% of likely voters said they support incumbent John Thune. Thirty-one percent support challenger Brian Bengs. Eighteen-percent of voters are undecided.
Wiltse says the results are consistent with past SDSU polling data.
“This is kind of typical of races we’ve seen here with Governor Noem running five to 10 points behind other statewide candidates," Wiltse says.
The SDSU Poll releases more polling data next week. The election is on November 8. Early voting has begun.
