South Dakota Governor Race Has No Clear Favorite in Early Going

1 year ago

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The race to succeed South Dakota's term-limited Republican governor, Mike Rounds, has no really clear favorite at this point with about one-fifth of voters in any of three match-ups undecided, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted Feb. 23

Democrat Scott Heidepriem, a state senator, runs roughly even with Republican Dave Knudson, the state Senate majority leader, and leads state Sen. Gordon Howie, but trails Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard.

Heidepriem leads Knudson 34 percent to 31 percent with 13 percent preferring another candidate and 22 percent undecided. The margin of error is 4.5 points.

Daugaard leads Heidepriem 41 percent to 32 percent with 7 percent preferring someone else and 19 percent undecided.

Heidepriem leads Howie, whose campaign site describes him as a "Tea Party Republican," by 37 percent to 29 percent with 12 percent preferring someone else and 22 percent undecided.

Heidepriem is the best known of the bunch, with only 25 percent saying they were not sure enough about him to register a favorable or unfavorable opinion. Thirty-three percent say that about Daugaard, 42 percent about Howie and 47 percent about Knudson.

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Filed Under: Polls, Governors, Poll Watch, 2010 Elections

Tagged: 2010 governors elections, 2010 Governors Races, Dave Knudson, DaveKnudson, Gordon Howie, GordonHowie, Scott Heidepriem, ScottHeidepriem, sd governors race, South Dakota Governor Race, south dakota governors race, SouthDakotaGovernorRace

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