In the latest CNN poll, republican presidential candidate John McCain leads 48 percent to 41 percent over democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. In North Dakota, it appears Obama could pull an upset. Currently, the CNN poll shows McCain trailing Obama 43 percent to 45 percent. Those numbers are within the margin of error, but even the possibility of the Dakotas splitting their presidential vote is extremely rare.

North Dakota and South Dakota have both been very red states when it comes to presidential elections. The last time the states went blue was 1964, when democrat Lyndon Johnson won in a landslide. It's even harder to find the last time the Dakotas split, which happened back in 1916. South Dakota voted for republican Charles Evans Hughes. North Dakota helped reelect democrat Woodrow Wilson.

Will Dietzler goes to Augustana college in Sioux Falls, but he voted absentee for Barack Obama in his home state of North Dakota. He says his friends and other young people have flocked to Obama, which is one reason why he thinks the democratic candidate is doing well in North Dakota.

"(My friends) really wish they could have decided four years ago," Dietzler said. "And they're really excited to this year."

Augustana political science professor Dr. Brent Lerseth, taught for two years in North Dakota, he says part of the reason why Obama is winning comes down to old-fashioned politics. Obama made appearances in North Dakota on his way to winning the democratic caucus. McCain hasn't appeared in North Dakota during his campaign.

Obama spent time in South Dakota as well, but he lost the Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton.

"I think Obama sort of assumed that South Dakota was not winnable," Lerseth said.

Republican offices in South Dakota have been much more focused on local races because state republican leaders are confident McCain will win the state. The national McCain campaign appears confident as well because they're sending all their signs to swing states. South Dakotans looking for McCain yard signs have been asked to order them online.

Though North Dakota isn't quite a swing state, both Lerseth and Dietzler agree the potential of a presidential split shows the Dakotas might be more different than the votes have shown.

"They've adopted a few different approaches to politics," Lerseth said. "And I think North Dakota has always had very much of a kind of individualistic kind of spirit."

"I think that we've always known that we were two different states and this just proves it," Dietzler said. "We just get lumped together like, 'Oh, it's just the Dakotas, it's just one giant area.' And it's like, we are completely two different states with two different ideals and two different agendas."