SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) _ Republican Rep. Kristi Noem has defeated Democratic challenger Matt Varilek to win a second term as South Dakota's lone member of the U.S. House.
Varilek is a former member of Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson's staff. He argued throughout the campaign that Noem had shirked her duties by skipping committee meetings and failed to protect South Dakota's interests in getting a farm bill passed before Congress adjourned before the election.
Noem is 40-year-old rancher and former state lawmaker from Castlewood who was first elected to Congress as part of the 2010 Republican wave. She says she has worked to cut federal spending and taxes, has a 99 percent voting record in committees and did all she could to get a farm bill passed.

AP-WF-11-07-12 0427GMT<