Individual races take on added meaning in 2010 election

Republican challenger Kristi Noem, a state legislator, leads in the polls ahead of 6-year incumbent Democrat Stephanie Herseth Sandlin by a margin of 47 percent to 45 percent, which is a statistical dead heat. Herseth Sandlin, is touting her independence from more liberal members of her party. The conservative challenger is doing her best to focus the electorate on the times when her opponent voted in line with her party.

Financially, Noem is taking the lead. In a report released Tuesday, her campaign raised more than $1.1 million from July through September, about twice the amount her opponent collected. She also has more cash on hand, $777,000 than Herseth Sandlin's $500,000.

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Each candidate's views on President Barack Obama's economic policies have been points of reference in the state.

In September, Herseth Sandlin said her assessment of the President's progress was mixed, but when pressed about a general grade, she said Obama would be "in the 'C' range overall" because, on the economy, "he's done better than people are giving him credit for." She also added that she wasn't "pleased" with "the commitment that I thought we would be having to ethanol and biodiesel and an understanding of rural America and dealing with our forestry issues."

Noem jumped on the economy comment, touting her agenda to cut spending. Noem noted Herseth-Sandlin supported the 2009 economic stimulus package, which included billions of dollars worth of tax breaks and government spending.

"The jobless $787 billion stimulus plan, increasing debt, and the growth in government don't deserve a "C," she said. "They are failing policies that are keeping us off the path to recovery."

While the jobless rate has remained above 9 percent for much of the President's tenure, the stimulus lowered the jobless rate between 0.7 to 1.8 percentage points in the second quarter of 2010, according to estimates issued in August by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

How much to chastise the Obama Administration's Environmental Protection Agency has also been a point of contention, which Noem has pressed.

In an issue particularly important for rural states in the U.S., both Noem and Herseth Sandlin have been critical of EPA's nearly year-long delay on a decision to use a higher blend of ethanol, up to 15 percent, in most vehicles.

For proponents, approval of additional fuel would not only mean a move to more environmentally friendly alternative fuels, but also a jobs boost for farmers.

Noem has gone as far as asking for EPA administrator Lisa Jackson to resign over the agency's "anti-farmer, anti-rancher, anti-small business" policies on the ethanol issue, along with the agency's consideration of tougher regulations on dust and ammunition toxicity.

When Noem called on Herseth Sandlin to follow suit and ask for Jackson's resignation, the Congresswoman declined, saying she would prefer to tell "bureaucrats in Washington" that some of the rules they propose "aren't in the best interest of our country and we can work more collaboration in a constructive, positive way."

Hersth Sandlin said that when the Bush administration promised to veto a $300 billion farm bill in 2008, which ultimately passed overwhelmingly in the House, she did not call for any resignations.

On gun rights, which both candidates strongly support, the National Rifle Association dealt a blow to Noem by endorsing Herseth Sandlin. However Noem sought to outdo her opponent, pointing out that Herseth Sandlin had never introduced pro-gun legislation "during her many years in Washington, DC," and touted her own efforts as a state legislator to do so.