SD-2012 President: 49% Romney (R), 43% Obama (D) (Nielson Brothers 7/19-7/23)

Nielson Brothers
7/19/12-7/23/12; 546 registered voters, 4.19% margin of error
Mode: Automated phone
Nielson Brothers release

South Dakota

2012 President
49% Romney (R), 43% Obama (D) (more polls)

Obama Job Approval
549 registered voters, 4.18% margin of error
45% approve, 55% disapprove (more polls)

Comments

[dopper]

03:20 AM on 08/07/2012

South Dakota, Montana, and this used to be true of ND before the oil boom, are basically MN without a large urban area. They aren't as Red as many people think, but SD is safely red (Montana less so but I don't Obama did what he needed to contest it).

South Dakota is full of what used to be called "big government conservatives" basically social conservatives, who like agriculture subsidies, medicare/medicaid, rural post offices, etc. It's why "bring home the bacon" guys like Daschle and Durgan could win here, even as Bush ran up huge numbers. in fact Bush's huge popularity here was because he was the proto-typical big government conservative. But if I remember even Dukakis ran fairly well in the Dakotas.

[Rightbrainedleftwinged]

04:55 PM on 08/06/2012

South dakota isn't as Conservative as North Dakota. I would have expected it would be the other way around, because ND, is more isolated, and closer to Canada.

[funkeepickle]

12:44 AM on 08/07/2012

The parts of Canada ND shares a border with are pretty conservative though.

[dopper]

03:11 AM on 08/07/2012

No. North Dakota used to be more liberal than South Dakota but the oil industry has changed North Dakota.

[Rightbrainedleftwinged]

01:15 PM on 08/07/2012

Yeah, I've never been to the Canadian Rockies. I want to someday.

[TJampel]

12:37 PM on 08/06/2012

Far closer than it ought to be in SD. I wonder if this is an outlier. If not, something seems to be going on in SD that's not going on in ND, where Obama's getting crushed.

[dpearl]

01:33 PM on 08/06/2012

Well then something is going on in North Carolina that is not going on in South Carolina. When states share the same last name it doesn't mean they are really siblings.

[ashenthorn]

01:42 PM on 08/06/2012

It's absolutely ludicrous that these two states get 4 US Senators and 6 electoral votes to represent less people than live in Brooklyn.

[stillow1]

01:41 PM on 08/06/2012

TJ - Closer? In 2008 Obama got 45% in SD...he's running 2 points behind that...and the poll has a MoE of over 4%.

[funkeepickle]

01:59 PM on 08/06/2012

In 2008 McCain got 53% in SD...Romney's running 4 points behind that...and the poll has a MoE of over 4%.

[runrunrun4fun]

02:08 PM on 08/06/2012

Reading skills would help. If you READ what TJ said, you would READ, "Far closer than it ought to be in SD."

See how that isn't saying AT ALL that it's closer than in 2008?