Poll: Daugaard maintaining huge lead over Heidepriem

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Republican Dennis Daugaard is maintaining his huge lead over Democrat Scott Heidepriem in the race to be South Dakota’s next governor, according to a poll released Sunday.

Daugaard leads Heidepriem 57-28 percent, according to Rasmussen Reports. Four percent favor another candidate and 11 percent are undecided. That’s only a slight improvement for Heidepriem, a state senator from Sioux Falls, compared to last month, when Rasmussen showed him trailing Lt. Gov. Daugaard 59-27 percent.

Democrats have routinely dismissed Rasmussen Reports as unreliable. Steve Jarding, a Mitchell native who is serving as Heidepriem’s campaign manager, has said Rasmussen is biased toward Republican candidates and can’t be trusted.

But the news isn’t much better in other voter surveys and election predictions. The New York Times election profile gives Daugaard a 99 percent chance of winning the race.

Heidepriem, a former Republican legislator who switched parties and then reentered the Legislature as a Democrat, is seeking to be the first Democrat to be elected governor since Richard Kneip won for a third time in 1974.

According to Rasmussen Reports. “Daugaard is favored by 78 percemt of Republicans, while only 56 percent of Democrats support Heidepriem. Among voters not affiliated with either political party, the Republican leads his challenger 48-33 percent.

“An overwhelming majority (73 percent) have a favorable opinion of Daugaard, including 30 percent who share a very favorable opinion of him. Only 19 percent have an unfavorable opinion of the Republican.”

For Heidepriem, 44 percent of voters have a favorable view of him and an equal number have an unfavorable view. These figures include 11 percent with a very favorable opinion and 19 percent with a very unfavorable opinion of him.

Tags: election 2010, dennis daugaard, scott heidepriem, news, state, politics