South Dakota's gubernatorial race is skewing surprisingly blue

The midterm elections are heating up in unexpected ways.

South Dakota's gubernatorial race is becoming surprisingly contested, a Democratic poll published Monday found. Democrat Billie Sutton is narrowly trailing Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), even though the state hasn't elected a liberal governor since 1974.

Sutton, a rancher who has been a South Dakota state senator since 2010, is polling at 42 percent to Noem's 46 percent, the poll showed. South Dakota voted for President Trump by nearly 30 points in the 2016 election, ABC News reports, and Democrats currently don't hold a single statewide office.

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The state senator's campaign pegs him as a lawmaker with "crossover appeal," in part referring to Sutton's pro-life, pro-gun sentiments that have helped him gain support even among South Dakota Republicans. The former rodeo rider calls himself the "Prairie Populist," and told ABC News that he thinks his middle-ground approach could make him an effective governor. "I don't think any party has a monopoly on good ideas," he said.

Monday's poll additionally showed that Sutton has won over some of Noem's presumed voters, taking 21 percent of registered Republicans and the majority of unaffiliated voters.

The poll was conducted July 19-25, surveying 500 South Dakota voters by phone. The margin of error is 4.4 percent.