In a closely followed and hotly contested campaign, Representative Herseth Sandlin lost by two percentage points to Kristi Noem, a member of the South Dakota House and one of Sarah Palin’s “mama grizzlies.”
Herseth Sandlin served three full terms (she was initially elected in a 2004 special election) as South Dakota’s lone House representative. In her most recent elections, she won 69 percent of the vote (2006) and 68 percent (2008).