Kristi Noem tops Ron DeSantis in South Dakota GOP Primary polling

Puppy killer Kristi Noem comes to Florida to rasie some cash.

In new presidential preference polling from South Dakota, Ron DeSantis is in second place, behind only that state’s Governor.

A survey from South Dakota State University conducted from March 18 through March 27 shows Kristi Noem is the preference of voters in her home state. But the Florida Governor is the best positioned candidate from outside the Mount Rushmore State.

The poll is run with so-called “feelings thermometers,” a device which gauges sentiment from 0 (cold) to 100 (hot). The polling memo notes Noem “has a clear home-field advantage with a score of 72,” but quickly qualifies that read.

“Should she run, she would face the challenge of building name recognition and a following in other states. She would also get little help from a victory in the South Dakota Primary, since our state has chosen to put itself dead last on the calendar, effectively removing itself from shaping the presidential nominations in any way.”

Meanwhile, “DeSantis polled second with a thermometer rating of 66,” well ahead of the pack. DeSantis is above 60 with both genders, and close to Noem’s 70 with men in her home state.

Additionally, he is in second place with respondents who identify as evangelicals, as well as those who consider themselves non-evangelicals. While evangelicals make up roughly a third of the Primary electorate, they have a sway in South Dakota beyond their numbers.

“Donald Trump and Ted Cruz polled at 57 each, followed closely by Nikki Haley at 54. These last three are within the poll’s margin of error and are statistically tied. Significantly, none of the candidates has a negative rating, suggesting all are acceptable to the state’s Republican voters.”

Pollsters surveyed 747 registered voters, giving the poll a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points. It’s worth noting that the poll was in the field before the former President’s arrest and indictment, events which have galvanized GOP support in other states.