The politics of North Dakota were shaped historically by early settlement by people from the Northern Tier, who carried their politics west ultimately from New England, upstate New York, and the Upper Midwest. The area and state also received numerous European immigrants and migrants, particularly during the era of opening up of former Native American lands for sale and settlement. The political leanings of the state since its creation have been largely

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

. However, there has also been a vein of political progressivism within the state's history, particularly with populist efforts to gain better conditions for subsistence farmers. The left-wing

Nonpartisan League The Nonpartisan League (NPL) was a left-wing political party founded in 1915 in North Dakota by Arthur C. Townley, a former organizer for the Socialist Party of America. On behalf of small farmers and merchants, the Nonpartisan League advocated ...

(NPL) was a strong political force during the first half of the 1900s. In the 1920s many NPL candidates were elected to government offices and the party enacted its largely

center-left Centre-left politics is the range of left-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. Ideologies commonly associated with it include social democracy, social liberalism, progressivism, and green politics. Ideas commonl ...

programs, including establishing state-owned banks, mills, and a railroad. Today, the major political parties in the state include the Republican Party and the

North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

, the latter of which was formed by the merger of the NPL and the

North Dakota Democratic Party The North Dakota Democratic Party was a political party in North Dakota that existed from the state's formation in 1889 until 1956, when the party merged with the Nonpartisan League The Nonpartisan League (NPL) was a left-wing political party f ...

in 1956. The state's Republican Party controlled the state government in its early days. In the early 21st century, Republicans control nearly all of the statewide officials. The government of the state was modeled on that of the United States federal government, whereby the

Governor of North Dakota The governor of North Dakota is the head of government of North Dakota and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's North Dakota National Guard, military forces. The Constitution of North Dakota specifies that "the executive power is ves ...

is executive head of state and head of government. Legislative power is vested in both chambers of the North Dakota Legislature; the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

and the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. Judicial power is vested in the North Dakota Supreme Court, which is independent of the executive and the legislative branches. The North Dakota Constitution was approved in 1889.

Political history

1889 to 1904

North Dakota began as a Republican Party stronghold upon its foundation in 1889, with John Miller elected as

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

. In 1890, however, an insurgency by the Farmers Alliance created an Independent Party to challenge the "McKenzie Gang" that dominated the Republican Party. The state's Democratic Party at the time was very weak, so it fused with the Independent Party and the combination, known as the Democratic-Independent Party, virtually took over the state's government overnight in the 1892 elections. Governor Eli C. D. Shortridge,

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Elmer D. Wallace,

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

William H. Standish,

Insurance Commissioner An insurance commissioner (or commissioner of insurance) is a public official in the executive branch of a state or territory in the United States who, along with their office, regulate the insurance industry. The powers granted to the office of ...

James Cudhie,

State Auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, or state examiners, among others) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, program eval ...

Arthur W. Porter,

State Treasurer In the state and territorial governments of the United States, 54 of the 56 states and territories have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the office of New York State Treasurer in 1926, in which the duties were transfer ...

Knud J. Nomland, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Laura J. Eisenhuth were all part of the ''D-I'' party and were all elected in 1892. The only state office not taken over was the Secretary of State, which remained in Republican control. The ''D-I'' control was short-lived, however, as all of the mentioned officials were defeated by Republicans in 1894. In 1896, Republican Frank A. Briggs was elected governor, followed by Joseph M. Devine upon Briggs's death in office. Fellow Republican Frederick B. Fancher was elected thereafter. While the Republican control over the next several years was criticized by Progressives, the state made strides in industrial development. Large

lignite Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35% and is considered the lowest ...

mines opened near Beulah and Wilton, and brickworks and flour mills soon opened throughout the state. The railroad industry also boomed in the state during this period, and many cities were formed along the tracks.

1905 to 1919

Despite the progress made by the Republican Party by 1905, political upheaval began to grow once again as Republican progressives united with Democrats to elect John Burke as the state's first Democratic Party governor. While the Democratic Party did not gain control of any other statewide offices, Burke's election began a reform era. During the next decade, a series of other movements began to take place. In 1907, a new co-operative movement, the

American Society of Equity The American Society of Equity or Farmers Equity was an American agricultural cooperative and political organization, founded in 1902, which aimed to organize farming, farmers as a "Third Power" in the United States, able to compete with capitalis ...

, came to the state and by 1913 become well established. A second movement, the Socialist Party of North Dakota, gained momentum as many of the state's European immigrants by 1905 had come from more radical traditions. Both the cooperative and radical movements criticized the Republican Party and demanded change, seeking better conditions for farmers. These movements created the

in 1915. This political organization became one of the most significant new movements in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Led by Arthur C. Townley, the NPL united progressives, reformers, and radicals behind a common platform that called for a massive reformation of the state's government. It resulted in the creation of government institutions to aid residents and to state ownership of banks, mills, and grain elevators. The NPL leaders in the 1916 primary election took control of the Republican Party. The ''Republican/NPL'' Party dominated all state government by 1918, and enacted its reformation program beginning in 1919. Its administration, headed by Governor Lynn J. Frazier, reorganized state services, expanded educational services, developed

health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

and welfare agencies, and improved regulation of public services and corporations.

1920 to 1930

The anti-NPL movement gained strength after the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The movement charged that the NPL's leaders, many of whom were former

Socialists Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and socia ...

, had opposed American participation in World War I. The anti-NPL forces coalesced in late 1918 into the

Independent Voters Association The Independent Voters Association, or IVA, was a North Dakota, United States, political organization. It formed on May 1, 1918, at the height of the Nonpartisan League's influence on the North Dakota Republican Party. The IVA was a conservative ...

. The IVA attacked the NPL on many fronts, which rapidly brought disunity within the NPL, splitting apart many of the cooperative and radical groups that had supported the league. Economic distress also became rampant by 1919, caused by the decline in grain prices in the recession that followed World War I. The largely rural state was still highly dependent on agriculture. In addition a drought in the western part of the state brought stress to families and diminished the NPL support. In 1920, the IVA took control of the

North Dakota House of Representatives The North Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly and is larger than the North Dakota Senate. North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts apportioned by population as ...

, and in 1921 it forced a recall election that deposed Governor Frazier, Attorney General

William Lemke William Frederick Lemke (August 13, 1878 – May 30, 1950) was an American politician who represented North Dakota in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party. He was also the Union Party's presidential cand ...

, and Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor John N. Hagan. The recall effectively ended the NPL's reign, and significantly altered North Dakota government for years to come. The state-owned

Bank of North Dakota The Bank of North Dakota (BND) is a State-owned enterprise, state-owned, state-run financial institution based in Bismarck, North Dakota, Bismarck, North Dakota. It is the only government-owned general-service bank in the United States. It is th ...

is a product of the NPL that continues to operate successfully in the 21st century. During the mid and late 1920s, a struggle between the NPL and the IVA ensued. The state's constitutional offices, including that of the governor, were held by changing parties. The decade ended with a fire that destroyed the State Capitol building, adding to the state's financial burden on the eve of the Great Depression. The IVA gained control again of state politics.

1931 to 1960

During the early 1930s, state Government was dominated by the conservative IVA. By 1932, however, a revitalized NPL returned to the forefront and elected

William Langer William "Wild Bill" Langer (September 30, 1886November 8, 1959) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 17th governor of North Dakota from 1932 to 1934 and the 21st governor from 1937 to 1939. His governorship was demarcated by ...

as governor. While in office, Langer took bold actions, including a massive cut of state spending during the depths of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. He was believed to disregard the law. A federal investigation resulted in Langer's being removed from office in late 1934. Lieutenant Governor Ole Olson finished his term. The state's Democratic Party made a comeback in the 1934 election when Thomas H. Moodie was elected; however, the success for the party was short-lived when it was discovered that Moodie did not meet residency requirements and had to be disqualified. Walter Welford succeeded Moodie, but was defeated in the 1936 election by an exonerated William Langer. The turbulence in the governor's office ended in 1938, when Democrat John Moses was elected; he held the office for six years. By 1943, seeking a way to overturn the Democratic control, the IVA Republicans coalesced into the Republican Organizing Committee (ROC). They regained the governor's office by 1944, against the national popularity of Democratic candidates led by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The insurgency left a crippled Democratic Party struggling to re-organize. As the Republican ROC controlled state politics into the early 1950s, the Democratic Party and the NPL, the state's two liberal parties, merged into the

by 1956. The Republican Party and the Democratic-NPL Party became the two main parties in the state, which has continued into the early 21st century.

1961 to present

The

North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. Its platform is conservative. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling North Dakota's at-large U.S. House seat, both U.S ...

and the Democratic-NPL Party have dominated state politics since the 1950s. The Dem-NPL Party made a comeback by 1960, and held the governor's office for 20 years until Republican Allen I. Olson was elected in 1980. The Democrats regained the office again from 1984 to 1992 with George Sinner, but since 1992 Republicans have controlled the office. While the Democrats made some strides in trying to control the state's constitutional offices, such as attorney general and tax commissioner in the 1980s, in the early 21st century, all of the statewide offices are held by Republicans. The last Democrat to serve was Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, who resigned; he was succeeded by Republican Doug Goehring, appointed by Republican Governor

John Hoeven John Henry Hoeven III ( ; born March 13, 1957) is an American banker and politician serving as the senior U.S. senator from North Dakota, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Hoeven served as the 31st governor of N ...

. Changes in demographics are beginning to influence the elections. A sizeable portion of North Dakota lands are held by federally recognized Native American tribes in reservations. Native Americans have become more active in electoral politics, and most vote with the

. In 2016, a record three candidates running for statewide office are Native American: Chase Iron Eyes for US Congress, Ruth Buffalo for Insurance Commissioner, and Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun for the Public Service Commission, the agency that regulates oil pipelines.Mark Trahant, "North Dakota Forges a History from Pipeline to Ballots"
''Indian Country Today,'' 31 October 2016; accessed 31 October 2016 In August 2016, a federal court ruled that North Dakota's new voter ID law was too restrictive, reverting the state's voting rules to their 2013 revision for the following election. Under the nullified rules, the state would have disallowed use of federal tribal IDs that did not include street addresses, even though most Native Americans on reservations use post office boxes. The court found the state had created a discriminatory burden on Native American voters.

Political institutions

As in the national government of the United States, power in North Dakota is divided into three main branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.

Executive

The

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

of the state is Bismarck and the current

Kelly Armstrong Kelly Michael Armstrong (born October 8, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 34th governor of North Dakota since 2024. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2019 to 2024 as the U.S. representative for North Da ...

, a Republican. His first term began on December 15, 2016. The Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota, elected on a joint ticket with the governor, is Tammy Miller. Miller concurrently serves, by virtue of her office as lieutenant governor, as the President of the North Dakota Senate. The offices of governor and lieutenant governor, as well as all of the other executive offices, with the exception of public service commissioner, have four-year terms. The governor is assisted by a State Cabinet consisting of the assembled heads of the various executive departments. All thirteen statewide executive offices are filled by electoral contests. All but the

North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction The North Dakota superintendent of public instruction oversees the operations of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. The superintendent enforces state and federal statutes and regulations regarding public schools and related program ...

are on a party-affiliated ballot.

Current executive branch

, , Republican , December 15, 2024 , - ,

Lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, Michelle Strinden , , Republican , December 15, 2024 , - , Secretary of State , Michael Howe , , Republican , January 1, 2023 , - ,

, Josh Gallion , , Republican , January 1, 2017 , - ,

, Drew Wrigley , , Republican , February 8, 2022 , - ,

, Thomas Beadle , , Republican , January 1, 2021 , - ,

, Jon Godfread , , Republican , December 15, 2016 , - , Tax Commissioner , Brian Kroshus , , Republican , January 4, 2022 , - , Agriculture Commissioner , Doug Goehring , , Republican , April 6, 2009 , - , Superintendent of Public Instruction ,

Kirsten Baesler Kirsten Baesler is the North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction, a position she has held since her North Dakota elections, 2012#Superintendent of Public Instruction, election in 2012. Baesler is originally from Flasher, North Dakota. Ori ...

, , Republican , January 1, 2013 , - , rowspan=3, Public Service Commissioners , Sheri Haugen-Hoffart , , Republican , January 4, 2022 , - , Randy Christmann , , Republican , January 2013 , - ,

Julie Fedorchak Julie Ann Fedorchak (née Liffrig; born September 28, 1968) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for North Dakota's at-large congressional district since 2025. Fedorchak is the first ...

, , Republican , December 2012

Legislative

The

North Dakota Legislative Assembly The North Dakota Legislative Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Dakota. The Legislative Assembly consists of two chambers, the lower North Dakota House of Representatives, with 94 representatives, and the upper No ...

is a

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature that is divided into two separate Deliberative assembly, assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate ...

body consisting of the

and

, with all members elected directly by the people of each district. The House of Representatives has 94 members, each serving a four-year term. The Senate has 47 members, each serving a four-year term. The state does not limit the number of terms that a legislator can serve; Brynhild Haugland notably served for 52 years in the House, a national record that still stands today.

Current composition

In the 64th Legislative Assembly (2015-2016), the Republicans command large majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. North Dakota House of Representatives The North Dakota Senate

Current leadership

The North Dakota House of Representatives ,

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

, Larry Bellew , , Republican , 2014 , - , Majority Leader , Al Carlson , , Republican , 2008 , - , Minority Leader , Josh Boschee , , Democratic-NPL , 2016 The North Dakota Senate ,

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

, Tammy Miller , , Republican , 2023 , - , President pro tempore , Donald Schaible , , Republican , 2023 , - , Majority Leader ,

David Hogue David Hogue (born December 5, 1962) is an American people, American politician. He is a member of the North Dakota State Senate from the 38th District, serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican party. References

, - ...

, , Republican , 2023 , - , Minority Leader , Kathy Hogan , , Democratic-NPL , 2022

Federal representation

North Dakota's two U.S. senators are elected at large: *

Senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

(Republican) * Junior

Kevin Cramer (Republican) North Dakota currently has one at-large

congressional district Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional body. Countries with congressional districts includ ...

. A 2nd and 3rd district were eliminated due to population growth in other states.

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

: *

North Dakota's at-large congressional district North Dakota's at-large congressional district is the sole congressional district for the state of North Dakota. Based on size, it is the eighth largest congressional district in the nation. The district was represented by Kelly Armstrong who se ...

, previously known as the 1st congressional district with different boundaries, covers the entire state: Rep.

(Republican). * North Dakota's 2nd congressional district existed from 1903 to 1973. * North Dakota's 3rd congressional district existed from 1913 to 1933.

Gallery of North Dakota's congressional delegation

File:John Hoeven, Official Senate Portrait, 112th Congress.jpg, Senior Senator

File:Kevin Cramer official photo (cropped).jpg, Junior Senator Kevin Cramer File:Rep. Julie Fedorchak official photo, 119th Congress (cropped).jpg, Representative

North Dakota is part of the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota in the federal judiciary. The district's cases are appealed to the St-Louis-based

United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts: * Eastern District of Arkansas * Western ...

Third political parties

Under state law, there are technically no major or minor parties, only 'organized' parties that are entitled to equal rights under the la

In the 1990s, the Reform Party of the United States of America, Reform Party and the

Natural Law Party The Natural Law Party (NLP) is a transnational party founded in 1992 on "the principles of Transcendental Meditation", the laws of nature, and their application to all levels of government. At its peak, it was active in up to 74 countries; it co ...

both formally organized in the state. However, the national in-fighting in these two parties in 2000 caused their decline. As of 2006, the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party both have organized state chapters. The North Dakota Libertarian Party is the most active of the organized third parties in the state. In 2004, Roland Riemers and Mitchell Sanderson were the libertarian candidates for state governor and received 4,193 votes, just over one percen

In 2006, Riemers ran for United States Senate and received a similar resul

It is rare for third parties to nominate candidates for certain offices, especially the state legislative, because State primary rules require a minimum number of primary voters before an organized party's candidate can go onto the general election.

Ethics Commission

North Dakota was one of the last U.S. states to establish an ethics oversight commission; the Legislature voted down proposals to create such a commission in 2011, 2013 and 2015.Jacob Orledge
"BadAss Grandmas" Pushed for an Ethics Commission. Then the North Dakota Legislature Limited Its Power.
''ProPublica''/''North Dakota Monitor'' (January 6, 2024). In 2018, a bipartisan ground of retirees secured an voter-approved amendment to the state Constitution to create the state Ethics Commission, which was given the power to establish and enforce rules applicable to state officials and candidates related to corruption, elections, and lobbying. However, the North Dakota Legislature undermined the Commission by restricting its authority and granting it insufficient funds for its activities. From its creation in 2018 through 2024, the commission did not rule any of the 81 complaints it received as substantiated; as of the end of 2024, the Commission dismissed 47 complaints, mostly because it lacked jurisdiction to investigate them, and 30 cases were pending.

References

External links

Political history of North DakotaNorth Dakota
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

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