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South Dakota's 2014 Senate race is shaping up to be one of the biggest in the country.
Senator Tim Johnson is expected to make his decision on running for re-election or retiring on Tuesday, March 26.
And former Republican Governor Mike Rounds has already said he is going to run for the seat.
Now, a new poll on the potential match ups for the race has both parties talking.
Former Governor Mike Rounds wins every match up for the 2014 Senate race according to the poll from Public Policy Polling released this week.
It's something that is stirring Republican spirits but not surprising state Democrats.
"I've talked to Republicans all over the state and they are electrified by the poll," South Dakota Republican Party Chairman Craig Lawrence said.
"He's the only declared candidate so far so I would expect that to be true," South Dakota Democratic Party Chairman Ben Nesselhuf said.
In the poll Mike Rounds wins a matchup over Democratic Senator Tim Johnson by 11 points, and has a 21 point advantage over Senator Johnson's son Brendan. The closest matchup would be with former Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. In that hypothetical race Rounds stands at 49 percent with Herseth Sandlin at 44 percent and seven percent undecided.
"You'd have to be a fool not to be concerned about Stephanie Herseth. She's very popular. The name Herseth is about as old as South Dakota politics itself but I was very gratified Mike came out so well even against her," Lawrence said.
“Stephanie Herseth still remains popular. In fact, according to those numbers the most popular political figure in the state and she doesn’t even hold an office,” Nesselhuf said.
While the 2014 Senate race is shaping up to be one of the country's biggest both parties say it's still early.
"But all a poll is is a snapshot in time so that's where we're at right now," Lawrence said.
"This is like a preseason ranking of a basketball team. It gives you kind of a benchmark that you can measure against six months from now, but right now it's pretty meaningless," Nesselhuf said.
We should get some clarity in the Senate race in the next seven days because Senator Tim Johnson has said he will make an announcement about running for re-election or retiring on Tuesday.
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