Republican Kristi Noem and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin are locked in a statistical dead heat for South Dakota’s at-large seat in the House, according to a Rasmussen Reports survey conducted Monday.

The poll of 500 likely South Dakota voters shows Noem with 47 percent and the Democratic lawmaker with 44 percent. There is a 4.5-point margin of error.

“South Dakotans are ready to send a Representative to Washington, DC who will provide a check on the reckless spending and massive growth in government,” Noem said in a statement. “These numbers reflect the energy we feel behind our effort out on the campaign trail.”

Noem appears to be gaining some ground on Herseth Sandlin. A similar Rasmussen Reports survey conducted last month showed Herseth Sandlin with 47 percent to Noem’s 45 percent.

The poll comes as Noem and Herseth Sandlin have taken to the airwaves.

Noem’s latest 30-second ad, which is running statewide on broadcast and cable networks, suggests that Herseth Sandlin acts differently at home than she does in D.C.

“Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin campaigns in South Dakota as an independent voice, but she votes in Washington for the trillion-dollar stimulus plan and the other key parts of the Obama-Pelosi economic agenda time after time,” Noem said.

Herseth Sandlin’s ad focuses on her work on passing the Farm Bill, saving Ellsworth Air Force Base and supporting alternative energy.