SIOUX FALLS (Reuters) - Democrat Stephanie Herseth won an open U.S. House of Representatives seat in South Dakota on Tuesday, scoring a narrow victory in a contest her party hopes will help energize its drive to retake the Republican-controlled chamber in November.With 777 of the state's 798 precincts reporting, she had a lead of 3,687 votes over Republican Larry Diedrich, out of more than a quarter million ballots cast Tuesday for the state's lone House seat.
Herseth's victory didn't become apparent until early Wednesday. It marked the second time in as many years the state produced a cliff-hanger election -- in 2002, Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was re-elected by a 524-vote margin.
The win was the second House pickup for the Democrats this year and was the last House contest scheduled before November's general election, when all 435 seats along with the presidency and a third of the U.S. Senate are up.
In February, Democratic Rep. Ben Chandler won a special election for an open Kentucky seat.
Tuesday's contest was for the balance of the term of Republican Rep. Bill Janklow, who resigned in January following a vehicular manslaughter conviction.
Her win means that Republicans control the House with 228 seats to the Democrats' 206, with one independent. That still leaves Democrats with an uphill fight to capture control as the Republicans did in 1994's off-year election revolt led by ideologist Newt Gingrich.
RECENT POLLS
Recent national polls show voters favoring Democrats over Republicans for Congress generally but such results do not necessarily reflect support for actual candidates.
While the November election is likely to turn on local issues rather than on larger questions such as President Bush's Iraq policy, Democrats had said in advance that a Herseth victory would give them a momentum in their campaign to regain House control.
What kind of bragging rights her win will now yield given the tightness of the contest was uncertain, although South Dakota does have about 48,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats.
Herseth, 33, granddaughter of a former governor and daughter of a state lawmaker, and Diedrich, 46, a farmer and former state senator, will undoubtedly face each other again in November for a full two-year House term.
Campaign issues in the South Dakota contest included Herseth's call for further changes in the Medicare old-age health system and Diedrich's opposition to tax increases.
Diedrich has also opposed abortion, while Herseth supported some abortion rights.
An official canvass of votes to insure the count was compiled correctly is required under state law, after which the loser could request a recount.
