{"id":1216418,"date":"2022-01-14T12:49:45","date_gmt":"2022-01-14T17:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1216418"},"modified":"2022-01-14T12:49:56","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T17:49:56","slug":"exclusive-poll-kristi-noem-crushing-john-thune-in-south-dakota-would-begin-senate-challenge-with-huge-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-poll-kristi-noem-crushing-john-thune-in-south-dakota-would-begin-senate-challenge-with-huge-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive \u2014 Poll: Kristi Noem Crushing John Thune in South Dakota, Would Begin Senate Challenge with Huge Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fexclusive-poll-kristi-noem-crushing-john-thune-in-south-dakota-would-begin-senate-challenge-with-huge-lead%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1216418&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem would begin a challenge against Sen. John Thune (R-SD) with a nearly double digit lead, a poll obtained by Breitbart News exclusively shows.<\/p>\n<p>Noem, who had previously in late 2020 stated she would not run against Thune and has been running for reelection, in a hypothetical matchup against Thune would begin with a 9-point lead if she does change her mind and gets in the Senate race.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>The poll, conducted by Fabrizio, Lee, and Associates\u2014former President Donald Trump\u2019s pollster\u2014for the group \u201cAmerican Potential Fund,\u201d shows Noem leading Thune 49 percent to 40 percent.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"View 1-22 SD RPV Senate Memo on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/552835678\/1-22-SD-RPV-Senate-Memo#from_embed\">1-22 SD RPV Senate Memo<\/a> by <a title=\"View Breitbart News&#039;s profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/publisher\/298980670\/Breitbart-News#from_embed\">Breitbart News<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIf the Republican primary were held today and Kristi Noem challenged John Thune, she would lead by a 49% \u2013 40% margin, well outside the margin of error,\u201d the polling memo, obtained by Breitbart News exclusively, reads. \u201cNoem would only need to win over a sliver of the 10% undecided to break the 50% mark. Not only is she up by 9-points overall, but among \u2018definite\u2019 voters for either candidate, Noem leads Thune, 41% \u2013 31%.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) announced she will sign legislation this week to protect babies with Down syndrome from eugenic abortions.  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/utlLsPGgU3\">https:\/\/t.co\/utlLsPGgU3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartNews\/status\/1374156622138859528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 23, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The survey of 400 likely 2022 GOP primary voters in South Dakota was conducted from Jan. 10 to Jan. 11, and has a margin of error of 4.9 percent. That means Noem\u2019s hypothetical lead in such a matchup is well outside the margin of error to begin any Senate campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Thune just announced this month that he is running for reelection, even though Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with the longtime ally of Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell. As McConnell\u2019s top deputy\u2014Thune is the Senate GOP whip\u2014the South Dakota senator has crossed Trump many times, and Trump has previously said he would back Noem if she ran against Thune.<\/p>\n<p>Noem, for her part, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mitchellrepublic.com\/news\/noem-pledges-2022-run-for-sd-governor-after-trump-threatens-thune\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said in December 2020<\/a> that she was not seeking to run against Thune, but things have changed significantly since then. Noem now has several million dollars in her gubernatorial campaign account\u2014she could transfer this money to a federal super PAC to back any senate campaign\u2014and the political climate has swung hard right, especially in red states like South Dakota, as President Joe Biden\u2019s agenda stalls out.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>Noem has reiterated her plans to just run for reelection as governor many times, including in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/10\/26\/exclusive-interview-watch-buffalo-wrangling-kristi-noem-takes-on-her-critics-exposes-the-biden-agenda-and-celebrates-the-american-west\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a recent Breitbart News On The Hill video special<\/a> filmed in South Dakota:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">instant classic <\/p>\n<p>Noem said, adding that \u201cI\u2019m not\u201d thinking about any future presidential campaign of her own at this time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d rather stay here in South Dakota and round up buffalo,\u201d Noem said.<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ld9i7tU3kp\">https:\/\/t.co\/Ld9i7tU3kp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jmartNYT\/status\/1454108221233369097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 29, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>As such, one would think that Noem would need a really strong push from Trump and his family to actually run against Thune, who being McConnell\u2019s top lieutenant will have the party\u2019s establishment behind him.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s approval rating among GOP primary voters is extremely strong in South Dakota, and would theoretically go a long way to helping Noem should she run.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe job approval ratings of Presidents Trump and Biden are polar opposites among GOP primary voters in South Dakota,\u201d the polling memo reads. \u201cPresident Trump is approved of by a huge 84%, including 62% who strongly approve. Conversely, President Biden is more than 80-points underwater, as only 8% approve of the job he is doing while a staggering 91% disapprove of his job performance, nearly all of whom strongly disapprove. President Trump\u2019s support would be invaluable in a South Dakota Republican primary, while being tied to President Biden could be electorally fatal.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>This poll seems to be an indicator that Trump allies are at least beginning the courting process with Noem, and there are other indicators that Trump is itching for this fight as a proxy battle with McConnell for control of the GOP. It remains to be seen if Trump will personally lean into coaxing Noem into the Senate race, and if he does if Noem will accept Trump\u2019s overtures. Thune\u2019s decision to actually run for reelection\u2014he held out all year last year without an announcement, making his decision in early January 2022\u2014threw a monkey wrench into the state\u2019s political scene as some say Noem was possibly going to run without Thune in the race, or at least U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) would possibly get in.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19490082\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1333288694.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19490082\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1333288694-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota greets guests at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip campground after riding in the Legends Ride for charity on August 09, 2021 near Sturgis, South Dakota. (Scott Olson\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Johnson, who is also polled against Thune in the survey, starts off stronger than most challengers to a longtime and powerful senator like Thune if he were to run against him as well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJohn Thune leads Dusty Johnson, 47% \u2013 30%, but fails to hit the critical 50% threshold. Furthermore, the undecideds in this ballot have a double-digit negative image of Thune (38% fav\/53% unfav), indicating Johnson could close the gap considerably. Thune is leading, but Dusty Johnson has the strong name I.D. to make it a real race,\u201d the polling memo reads.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, Noem\u2019s and Johnson\u2019s approval ratings with GOP voters in the state are much more in line with Trump\u2019s than Thune\u2019s numbers are. Noem has a total favorable rating of 82 percent, with 65 percent very and 17 percent somewhat favorable, compared with just 16 percent\u20144 somewhat and 12 very\u2014who view her unfavorably.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;Only girls should play girls\u2019 sports.&#8221; \u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KristiNoem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@KristiNoem<\/a>  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XezqEOzZyP\">https:\/\/t.co\/XezqEOzZyP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartNews\/status\/1472602490709368837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 19, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Johnson\u2019s overall favorability is 70 percent, with 37 very and 33 somewhat favorable, while his overall unfavorable number is 25 percent with 15 somewhat and 10 very.<\/p>\n<p>Thune, on the other hand, has just 62 percent\u201420 points less than Noem\u2014total favorable ratings among GOP primary voters in South Dakota. Thirty-seven percent view him very favorably, and 26 percent somewhat favorably. His unfavorable number is up to 33 percent\u201417 points higher than Noem\u2014with 18 percent viewing him very unfavorably and 15 percent somewhat unfavorably.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem would begin a challenge against Sen. John Thune (R-SD) with a nearly double digit lead, a poll obtained by Breitbart News exclusively shows. Noem, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1216418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1216418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1216418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1216418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1216418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1216418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1216418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}