Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has a 4-point lead over her Democratic challenger, state Rep. Jamie Smith, according to a new poll. The South Dakota State University survey found that 45% of all respondents said they will vote for Noem, while 41% support Smith.
In the survey, 14% remain unsure of which candidate to vote for in the state's gubernatorial election.
The race for governor in South Dakota is closer than expected, given Smith's lack of name recognition and Noem's massive fundraising advantage, The Associated Press reported.
More males prefer Noem, while more females prefer Smith. About half of male respondents (52%) said they'll support Noem, while 36% said they will vote for Smith, according to the poll.
Among female voters, 48% said they'll support Smith, while 39% said they support Noem.
Noem is pro-life without any exceptions for rape or incest, which might have impacted her standing with woman voters, The Associated Press noted.
Along party lines, 80% of Republican respondents said they'll vote for Noem, while 7% said they'll support Smith.
Approximately 9 in 10 Democrats surveyed (91%) said they'll vote for Smith; 3% said they will vote for Noem.
Smith, a real estate agent who has also worked as a teacher and coach, is positioned as a moderate Democrat, according to the AP: "During his lone debate with Noem, he only briefly mentioned ethics complaints that have dogged her in recent months, including her intervention with a state agency in the application by one of her daughters for a real estate appraiser's license."
The state ethics board found evidence of misconduct but has not revealed its action against her, according to the AP.
The new South Dakota State University poll was conducted Sept. 28 to Oct. 10 with a total of 565 respondents. The poll's margin of error is 4 percentage points.
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