Candidate Image is a Major Point of Discussion During Sutton-Noem Debate

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Republican Kristi Noem repeatedly sought to banish Democratic challenger Billie Sutton’s moderate image at their first debate in the South Dakota governor’s race even as Sutton rebuffed claims that he supports an income tax in the heavily conservative state. Noem, a four-term congresswoman, said during Tuesday evening’s debate at KELO-TV that Sutton backs an income tax and tied him to Bernie Sanders. But Sutton, a state senator and former professional rodeo cowboy paralyzed in a 2007 rodeo accident, says he’s never supported an income tax, calling Noem’s claim “unequivocally not true.” Sutton took aim at Noem for getting campaign contributions from “out-of-state special interests.” Noem is favored to be South Dakota’s first female governor, but Sutton is running a spirited campaign to become the first Democrat elected to the post in decades.