Poll: 1 in 4 South Dakotans believe Gov. Noem should be Trump’s running mate

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Gov. Kristi Noem hasn’t entered the 2024 race for the White House. Yet.

According to new polling from Emerson College, 25% of South Dakota believe former President Donald Trump should choose Gov. Noem as his running mate, while 20% said it depends on who else is considered, and 38% said Trump should choose someone else.

Among just Republican voters, 34% think Noem should be the 2024 running mate of a hypothetical Trump nomination, while 32% think it should be someone else, and 18% say it depends on who is considered.

The polling also puts Gov. Noem’s approval rating with South Dakotans at 43%, with 37% of respondents saying they disapprove of the job she’s doing as governor.

According to Spencer Kimball, Executive Director of Emerson College Polling, Noem holds a 73% approval rating among Republicans, while 48% of independent voters disapprove of how she’s doing.

“Noem’s approval is lowest among voters under 30, at 30%, and highest among those between 50-69, at 53%,” said Kimball.

There’s also a significant gender divide when it comes to Noem’s approval rating. According to the poll, 52% of men and 35% of women approve of Noem, while 31% of men and 41% of women disapprove.

“Noem’s disapproval is consequently ten points higher among women than men, 41% to 31%,” Kimball said.

The Emerson College poll was conducted Oct. 1-4, 2023. It consisted of 477 South Dakota residents, including 432 registered voters. Nearly half of the respondents were registered Republicans, 23% were Democrats, and 22% independents.

In a hypothetical 2024 Presidential matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Trump leads 50% to 28%. Fourteen percent support someone else and 8% are undecided.

According to the poll, 40% of respondents believe President Joe Biden won the 2020 Election “fair and square” and 42% believe Biden stole the election.