Politics of North Dakota - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Politics of North Dakota are modeled after that of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Governor of North Dakota

The Governor of North Dakota is the chief executive of North Dakota. The current Governor is Jack Dalrymple. The Governor has the right to sign and laws, and to call the Legislative Assembly, into emergency session. The Governor is also chairman of the North Dakota Industrial Commission. The...

is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the Governor, and Legislative power is vested in both chambers of the North Dakota Legislature

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 North Dakota Senate, with 47 senators...

; the House of Representatives

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....

and the Senate

North Dakota Senate

The North Dakota Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives.North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts apportioned by population as determined by the decennial census...

. Judicial power is vested in the North Dakota Supreme Court

North Dakota Supreme Court

The North Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court of law in the state of North Dakota. The Court rules on questions of law in appeals from the state's district courts....

, which is independent of the executive and the legislative branches. The political system's foundation was created in the North Dakota Constitution in 1889.

The political leanings of the state since its creation have been largely conservative. However, there is also a vein of political radicalism within the state's history. The liberal Non-Partisan League

Non-Partisan League

The Nonpartisan League was a political organization founded in 1915 in the United States by former Socialist Party organizer A. C. Townley. The Nonpartisan League advocated state control of mills, grain elevators, banks and other farm-related industries in order to reduce the power of corporate...

(NPL) was a strong political force during the first half of the 1900s with the election of many NPL candidates to government offices and the enactment of the party's largely socialistic

Socialism

Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...

programs. Today, the major political parties in the state include the Republican Party

North Dakota Republican Party

The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...

and the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. The state's Republican Party controlled the state government in its early days and still maintains a stronghold today, with 11 of the 12 partisan statewide officers being Republican.

1889 to 1904

North Dakota began as a Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

stronghold upon its foundation in 1889, with John Miller

John Miller (Governor)

John Miller served as the first Governor of North Dakota from 1889 to 1891. He was a member of the Republican Party.-Biography:...

as Governor

Governor of North Dakota

. 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

North Dakota Democratic-Independent Party

The North Dakota Democratic-Independent Party, abbreviated D-I, was a progressive political party that formed around 1890 in response to the North Dakota Republican Party's domination of state politics.-History:...

, virtually took over the state's government overnight in the 1892 elections. Governor Eli C. D. Shortridge

Eli C. D. Shortridge

Eli C. D. Shortridge was an American politician who was the third Governor of North Dakota from 1893 to 1895. Eli C. D...

, Lieutenant Governor Elmer D. Wallace, Attorney General

North Dakota Attorney General

The North Dakota Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the North Dakota state government. The current Attorney General is Wayne Stenehjem...

William H. Standish, Insurance Commissioner

North Dakota Insurance Commissioner

The North Dakota Insurance Commissioner regulates the insurance industry in North Dakota, licenses insurance professionals in the state, educates consumers about different types of insurance, and handles consumer complaints...

James Cudhie, State Auditor

North Dakota State Auditor

The North Dakota State Auditor is a political office in North Dakota. The auditor's duty is to oversee the three divisions of the Office of the State Auditor: State Audit, which audits the state of North Dakota; Local Government Audit, which performs audits of counties, school districts, and other...

Arthur W. Porter, State Treasurer

North Dakota State Treasurer

The North Dakota State Treasurer is a political office in North Dakota. The treasurer's duty is to assure sound financial oversight and absolute safety of all public funds collected, managed, and disbursed. The Office of the State Treasurer is separated into five divisions: Administration,...

Knud J. Nomland, and Superintendent of Public Instruction

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 programs within the U.S. state of North Dakota...

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. While the Republican control over the next 10 years was criticized by Progressives

Progressivism

Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...

, the state made strides in industrial development. Large lignite

Lignite

Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...

mines opened near Beulah

Beulah, North Dakota

At the 2000 census, there were 3,152 people, 1,213 households, and 851 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,307.8 inhabitants per square mile . There were 1,475 housing units at an average density of 612.0 per square mile...

and Wilton

Wilton, North Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 807 people, 309 households, and 219 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,395.3 people per square mile . There were 347 housing units at an average density of 599.9 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 98.27% White, 0.12%...

, 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 state wide 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

American Society of Equity

The American Society of Equity was an American agricultural cooperative and political organization, founded in 1902, which aimed to organize farmers as a "Third Power" in the United States, able to compete with capital and organized labor on equal terms. Equity inspired the creation of many...

, came to the state and by 1913 become well established in the state. A second movement, the North Dakota Socialist Party, gained momentum as many of the state's immigrants by 1905 were radicals. Both the cooperative and radical movements criticized the Republican Party and demanded change. These movements created the Nonpartisan League in 1915; a political organization that would become one of the biggest insurgencies in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The NPL, led by A. C. Townley

A. C. Townley

Arthur Charles Townley was an American political organizer best known as the founder the National Non-Partisan League , a radical farmers' organization which had considerable political success in the states of North Dakota and Minnesota during the second half of the 1910s.-Early years:Arthur...

, united progressives, reformers, and radicals behind a common platform that called for a massive reformation of the state's government including the creation of more government, and the state ownership of banks, mills, and elevators. The NPL used the 1916 primary election to take control of the Republican Party , and the Republican/NPL Party dominated all state government by 1918, and enacted its reformation program in 1919. Its administration, headed by Governor Lynn J. Frazier, instituted many reforms in state government; among them were re-organization of state services, expansion of educational services, development of health care

Health care

Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...

agencies, and improved regulation of public services and corporations.

1920 to 1930

While the NPL was enacting its many Government reforms, the anti-NPL movement gained strength after the end of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. The movement charged that the NPL's leaders, many of whom were former Socialists, were opponents of American participation in World War I. The anti-NPL forces coalesced in late 1918 into the Independent Voters Association

Independent Voters Association

The Independent Voters Association, or IVA, was a North Dakota political organization formed on May 1, 1918, at the height of the Non Partisan League's influence on the North Dakota Republican Party. The IVA was a conservative, capitalist faction created to counter the NPL's socialist leanings. ...

. 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 WWI. This, in addition to a drought the western part of the state diminished the NPL support. In 1920, the IVA took control of the North Dakota House of Representatives

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....

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

William Lemke

William Frederick Lemke was a United States politician.-Life and career:He was born in Albany, Minnesota, and raised in Towner County, North Dakota, the son of Fred Lemke and Julia Anna Klier, pioneer farmers who had accumulated some of land...

, and Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor

North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor

The North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor was an elected official who headed the North Dakota Department of Agriculture and Labor. The office was established with the state's constitution in 1889, and was split into two separate offices—the North Dakota Commissioner of Labor and the...

John N. Hagan

John N. Hagan was a North Dakota Republican/NPL politician who served as the North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor from 1917 to 1921 and from 1937 to 1938. He is one of three politicians in the state ever to be recalled; he was recalled during his first time in the office along with...

. The recall effectively ended the NPL's reign, one that significantly altered North Dakota government for years to come. The state-owned Bank of North Dakota

Bank of North Dakota

The Bank of North Dakota is a state-owned and -run financial institution based in Bismarck, North Dakota. Under state law the bank is the State of North Dakota doing business as the Bank of North Dakota....

is a product of the NPL that still remains today. During the mid and late 1920s, a struggle between the NPL and the IVA ensued, with the state's constitutional offices, including that of the Governor, constantly changing parties. The decade ended with fire destroying the State Capitol building, and the IVA once again gaining control of state politics.

1931 to 1960

During the early 1930s, state Government was once again under the control of the conservative IVA. By 1932, however, a revitalized NPL returned to the forefront and elected William Langer

William Langer

William "Wild Bill" Langer was a prominent US politician from North Dakota. Langer is one of the most colorful characters in North Dakota history, most famously bouncing back from a scandal that forced him out of the governor's office and into prison. He served as the 17th and 21st Governor of...

as Governor. While in office, Langer took bold actions including a massive cut of state spending, and eventually began to disregard the law. This led to a Federal investigation that eventually had Langer removed from office in late 1934, so Lieutenant Governor Ole Olson

Ole H. Olson

Ole H. Olson was born in Mondovi, Wisconsin. After graduating from Concordia College, in Moorhead, Minnesota, he moved to North Dakota and eventually was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives and later was elected to the North Dakota State Senate. Olson was elected the Lieutenant...

finished his term. The state's Democratic Party made a comeback in the 1934 election when Thomas 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

Walter Welford

Walter Welford was born in Bellerby, Yorkshire, England. He was inaugurated as the 20th Governor of North Dakota on February 2, 1935 after Thomas H. Moodie was removed from office after it was determined he was ineligible to hold the office...

succeeded Moodie, but was defeated in the 1936 election by an exonerated William Langer. The turbulence in the Governor's office finally ended in 1938 when Democrat John Moses

John Moses

John Moses was the 22nd Governor of North Dakota from 1939 to 1945, and served in the United States Senate in 1945 until his death that year.-Biography:...

gained control and 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), and regained the Governor's office by 1944. 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, were forced to merge into the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party by 1956. The Republican Party and the Democratic-NPL Party became the two main parties in the state, which remains true today.

1961 to present

Since the unifying of the conservatives into the North Dakota Republican Party

North Dakota Republican Party

and the unifying of the liberals into the Democratic-NPL Party in the 1950s, the two parties have been the main focus in state politics. The Dem-NPL Party made a comeback by 1960, and held the Governor's office for 20 years until Republican Allen I. Olson

Allen I. Olson

Allen Ingvar Olson is a Republican politician and attorney who served as the 28th Governor of North Dakota from 1981 to 1985. He defeated incumbent Arthur A. Link in the 1980 race for governor and served one term....

was elected in 1980. The Democrats regained the office again from 1985 to 1993 with George Sinner

George Sinner

George Albert Sinner is a Democratic-NPL politician who served as the 29th Governor of North Dakota from 1985 through 1992. He served two four-year terms as governor.- Early years, education, professional background :...

, but since 1993 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, today all of the statewide offices are held by Republicans, after the resignation of Agriculture Commissioner

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner

In the U.S. state of North Dakota, the Agriculture Commissioner, formerly known as the Commissioner of Agriculture, is an elected official who heads the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. The present commissioner is Doug Goehring....

Roger Johnson, and the appointment of Doug Goehring

Doug Goehring

Doug Goehring is the current North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner. A Republican, he was appointed to the office by Governor John Hoeven on April 6, 2009 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Democratic-NPL incumbent Roger Johnson to become president of the National Farmers...

by Republican Governor John Hoeven

John Hoeven

John Henry Hoeven III is the junior United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Republican Party. He is expected to become the state's senior senator when Kent Conrad retires from the Senate in January 2013.Hoeven served as the 31st Governor of North Dakota,...

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 of the state is Bismarck

Bismarck, North Dakota

Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...

and the current Governor of North Dakota

Governor of North Dakota

is Jack Dalrymple

Jack Dalrymple

John "Jack" Dalrymple is a North Dakota politician and businessman who is the current Governor of North Dakota, and a one-time candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1992. Dalrymple became governor after the resignation of John Hoeven, who was elected to the U.S...

, a Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

. His first term began on December 7, 2010. The Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota

Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota

The Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota is a political office in North Dakota. The Lieutenant Governor's duty is to preside as President of the Senate, and is responsible for legislative relations, the state budget and agri-business development. Should the Governor's office become vacant, the...

, elected on a joint ticket with the Governor, is Drew Wrigley

Drew Wrigley

Drew Wrigley is the 37th and current Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota. He was appointed by Governor Jack Dalrymple on December 7, 2010. Wrigley previously served as U.S...

. Wrigley concurrently serves, by virtue of his office as Lieutenant Governor, as the President of the North Dakota Senate

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

North Dakota State Cabinet

The North Dakota State Cabinet is part of the executive branch of the Government of the U.S. state of North Dakota, consisting of the appointed heads of the North Dakota state executive departments...

consisting of the assembled heads of the various executive departments.

All of the thirteen state-wide executive offices are contested in elections, and all but the North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction

North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction

are on a party-affiliated ballot.

Current executive branch

|Governor of North Dakota

Governor of North Dakota

|Jack Dalrymple

Jack Dalrymple

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|December 7, 2010
|-
|Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota

|Drew Wrigley

Drew Wrigley

Drew Wrigley is the 37th and current Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota. He was appointed by Governor Jack Dalrymple on December 7, 2010. Wrigley previously served as U.S...

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

North Dakota Republican Party

|January 1, 1993
|-
|State Auditor

North Dakota State Auditor

|Bob Peterson

Bob Peterson (North Dakota)

Robert Randall "Bob" Peterson is a North Dakota public servant and politician with the Republican Party who is currently serving as the North Dakota State Auditor since 1997. He was also a Presidential Elector for the state in 1996. His father, Robert W...

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|January 1, 1997
|-
|Attorney General
|Wayne Stenehjem

Wayne Stenehjem

Wayne Stenehjem is a lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of North Dakota. He is the current Attorney General of the state, serving since 2000.-Biography:...

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|January 1, 2001
|-
|State Treasurer
|Kelly Schmidt

Kelly Schmidt

Kelly Schmidt is a North Dakota Republican Party politician and public servant who is the current North Dakota State Treasurer, serving since 2004.-North Dakota State Treasurer:...

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|January 1, 2005
|-
|Insurance Commissioner

North Dakota Insurance Commissioner

|Adam Hamm

Adam Hamm

Adam Hamm, born July 24, 1971, is the current North Dakota Insurance Commissioner, taking office following Jim Poolman's departure in August. He was appointed to the position and he began his work on October 22, 2007. Hamm is a former prosecutor in the Cass County State's Attorney's office and is a...

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|October 22, 2007
|-
|Tax Commissioner
|Cory Fong

Cory Fong

Cory Fong is a North Dakota public servant. He is a Republican, and the current state State Tax Commissioner....

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|June 1, 2001
|-
|Agriculture Commissioner

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner

|Doug Goehring

Doug Goehring

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|April 6, 2009
|-
|Superintendent of Public Instruction

North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction

North Dakota Public Service Commission

The North Dakota Public Service Commission is a constitutional agency that maintains various degrees of statutory authority over utilities, telecommunications, railroads, grain elevators, pipeline safety, and other functions in North Dakota....

|Brian Kalk
| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|January 1, 2009
|-
|Tony Clark

Tony Clark (North Dakota)

Tony Clark is a North Dakota politician who is serving as a Public Service Commissioner since 2001.-Biography:He is a graduate of Fargo North High School, and an alumnus of both NDSU and UND He was elected to the Public Service Commission of the U.S. state of North Dakota in 2000, and was...

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|January 1, 2001
|-
|Kevin Cramer

Kevin Cramer

Kevin Cramer is a North Dakota politician who in 2010 is serving as a North Dakota Public Service Commissioner.-Biography:...

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|August 1, 2003
|}

Legislative

The North Dakota Legislature is a bicameral

Bicameralism

In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....

body consisting of the Senate

North Dakota Senate

and House of Representatives

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....

, 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

Brynhild Haugland

Brynhild Haugland was a North Dakota Republican Party politician who was well-known for being one of the first female legislators in the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, as well as for being the longest serving state legislator in the history of the United States because of her continuous...

notably served for 52 years in the House, a national record that still stands today.

Current composition

In the 60th Legislature (2007), the Republicans control the House of Representatives (69 to 25) as well as the Senate (35 to 12).

The North Dakota House of Representatives > >

Affiliation		Members
Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...	69
Democratic Party Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	25
Total		94

The North Dakota Senate > >

Affiliation		Members
Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...	35
Democratic-NPL	12
Total		47

Current Leadership

The North Dakota House of Representatives

|Speaker of the House
|David Drovdal
| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|2011
|-
|Majority Leader

Majority leader

In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...

|Al Carlson

Al Carlson

Alvin Harold "Al" Carlson is a retired American basketball player.He played collegiately for the University of Oregon.He played for the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA for 28 games....

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|2003
|-
|Minority Leader

Minority leader

In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...

|Jerry Kelsh
| | Democratic-NPL
|2011
|}

The North Dakota Senate

|President of the Senate

Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota

|Drew Wrigley

Drew Wrigley

Drew Wrigley is the 37th and current Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota. He was appointed by Governor Jack Dalrymple on December 7, 2010. Wrigley previously served as U.S...

| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

North Dakota Republican Party

|2011
|-
|Majority Leader

Majority leader

|Rich Wardner
| | Republican

North Dakota Republican Party

|2011
|-
|Minority Leader

Minority leader

|Ryan M. Taylor
| | Democratic-NPL
|2011
|}

Federal representation

North Dakota's two U.S. Senators

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

are elected at large:

Senior Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

Kent Conrad
Kent Conrad
Kent Conrad is the senior United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party...

(Democratic)
Junior Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

John Hoeven
John Hoeven
John Henry Hoeven III is the junior United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Republican Party. He is expected to become the state's senior senator when Kent Conrad retires from the Senate in January 2013.Hoeven served as the 31st Governor of North Dakota,...

(Republican)

North Dakota currently has one at-large congressional district

Congressional district

A congressional district is “a geographical division of a state from which one member of the House of Representatives is elected.”Congressional Districts are made up of three main components, a representative, constituents, and the specific land area that both the representative and the...

. There was a 2nd and 3rd district, but they have since been eliminated.

U.S. House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

North Dakota's At-large congressional district
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. All of North Dakota is contained within one at large Congressional District making it the eighth largest district in the nation.- History:...

, previously known as the 1st congressional district with different boundaries, covers the entire state — Rep. Rick Berg
Rick Berg
Richard Alan Berg is the U.S. Representative for . Berg serves on the House Ways and Means Committee. He is a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the state House of Representatives. He served as Majority Leader and Speaker.-Early life, education, and pre-political career:Berg...

(Republican).
North Dakota's 2nd congressional district
North Dakota's 2nd congressional district
North Dakota's 2nd congressional district is an obsolete congressional district in the state of North Dakota that was created by reapportionments in 1913, and eliminated by the reapportionments in 1933. North Dakota elected its two Representatives in a two-member at large district from 1932 to...

existed from 1903 to 1973.
North Dakota's 3rd congressional district
North Dakota's 3rd congressional district
North Dakota's 3rd congressional district is an obsolete congressional district in the state of North Dakota that was created by reapportionments in 1913, and eliminated by the reapportionments of the 1930 census in 1933...

existed from 1913 to 1933.

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 law http://www.nd.gov/sos/electvote/.

In the 1990s the Reform Party

Reform Party of the United States of America

The Reform Party of the United States of America is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot...

and the Natural Law Party

Natural Law Party

The Natural Law Party was a transnational party based on the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was active in up to 74 countries, and ran candidates in at least ten. Founded in 1992, it was mostly disbanded in 2004 but continues in India and in some U.S. states.The NLP viewed "natural law" as...

both formally organized in the state, but the national in-fighting in these two parties in 2000, caused their decline. As of 2006, the Constitution Party

Constitution Party (United States)

The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...

and the Libertarian Party

Libertarian Party (United States)

The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...

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 percent http://web.apps.state.nd.us/sec/emspublic/gp/electionresultssearch.htm?electionDate=11022004&searchType=STATE&officeElectionNo=1102&cmd=Search&showMap=N&resultType=Governor%20~%20Lieutenant%20Governor&legislativeDistrictNo=&judicialDistrictNo=&countyNo=&showJudDistricts=Y. In 2006, Riemers ran for United States Senate and received a similar result http://web.apps.state.nd.us/sec/emspublic/gp/electionresultssearch.htm?cmd=Search&searchType=STATE&electionDate=11072006&showMap=N.

Yet, 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.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

1889 to 1904

1905 to 1919

1920 to 1930

1931 to 1960

1961 to present

Political institutions

Executive

Current executive branch

Legislative

Current composition

Current Leadership

Federal representation

Third political parties

See also

External links