North Dakota State Senate elections, 2026
From Ballotpedia
| 2026 North Dakota Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | Pending |
| General | November 3, 2026 |
| 2026 Elections |
|---|
| Choose a chamber below: |
Elections for the North Dakota State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.
The North Dakota State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Party | As of March 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 5 | |
| Republican Party | 42 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 47 |
Candidates
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
This list will be updated after the candidate filing deadline has passed and the official list of candidates becomes available. Please contact us if you notice an official candidate missing from the list or the inclusion of a candidate who withdrew.
Primary
General election
Voting information
- See also: Voting in North Dakota
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Competitiveness
This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in North Dakota. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Process to become a candidate
For party candidates
See statutes: Chapter 16.1-11, Section 6 of the North Dakota Century Code
A candidate seeking the nomination of a recognized political party can submit a petition/certificate of nomination, an affidavit of candidacy, and a statement of interests in order to have his or her name printed on the primary ballot. A petition/certificate of nomination must include the following information:[1]
- the candidate's name, post office address, and telephone number
- the title of the office being sought
- the name of the party the candidate seeks to represent
For statewide partisan offices (including congressional offices), petitions must contain signatures equaling 3 percent of the total number of votes cast for the party's candidate for the same office in the last general election. No more than 300 signatures, however, may be required for such offices.[1][2][3]
For state legislative offices, petitions must contain signatures equaling least 1 percent of the total resident population of the legislative district according to the most recent federal census.[1]
In addition to petitions/certificates of nomination, candidates must also file affidavits of candidacy, which require basic information about the candidate. Any candidate for state executive or legislative office (excluding federal candidates) must also file a statement of interests, which details the candidate's sources of income and any businesses or organizations in which he or she has a financial or fiduciary responsibility.[4][5][6]
Candidates for federal, statewide executive, or state legislative office must file the aforementioned paperwork with the North Dakota Secretary of State by 4:00 p.m. on the 64th day before the election.[1][7][8][9][10]
Candidates can also be added to the primary ballot via an endorsement from the political party's convention. Former Republican Party state chair and national committeeman Curly Haugland has argued that the party convention process supersedes the primary process and that each party's general election candidate should be selected via the convention process with a vote from the party membership.[11]
For independent candidates
See statutes: Chapter 16.1-12 of the North Dakota Century Code
Independent candidates petition for placement on the general election ballot. Like party candidates, an independent candidate must file a petition/certificate of nomination, an affidavit of candidacy, and a statement of interests. Signature requirements for independent candidates differ from those to which party candidates are held. Signature requirements for independent candidates are summarized in the table below.[12]
| Independent candidate signature requirements | |
|---|---|
| Office | Required signatures |
| Governor United States Senator United States Representative Secretary of State of North Dakota Attorney General of North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Tax Commissioner Public Service Commissioner |
1,000 |
| North Dakota Legislative Assembly | At least 2 percent of the resident population of the district according to the most recent decennial federal census, but no more than 300 signatures may be required |
Completed filing paperwork must be submitted to the North Dakota Secretary of State office by 4:00 p.m. on the 64th day before the general election.[7][8][9][10][13]
For write-in candidates
In order to have his or her votes tallied, a write-in candidate for federal, statewide, or state legislative office must submit a certificate of write-in candidacy to the North Dakota Secretary of State. Certificates for federal and statewide candidates are due by 4:00 p.m. on the 21st day prior to the election. Certificates for state legislative candidates are due by 4:00 p.m. on the fourth day prior to the election. The certificate must include the candidate's name, address, and office being sought. Along with this form, the candidate must also submit a statement of interests (the same as that submitted by party and independent candidates).[8][9][10][14][15]
Qualifications
Article 4, Section 5 of the North Dakota Constitution states: State Senators and Representatives must be, on the day of the election, qualified voters in the district from which they are chosen and a resident of the state for one year preceding election to office.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[16] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $592/month | $213/day |
When sworn in
North Dakota legislators assume office December 1st.[17]
North Dakota political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
North Dakota Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Thirty-one years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Presidential politics in North Dakota
2024
- See also: Presidential election, 2024
 |
There were no incumbents in this race The results have been certified. |
Total votes: 368,155 |
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
|
Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified. |
Total votes: 361,819 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
North Dakota presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 5 Democratic wins
- 27 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On January 8, 2024, the U.S. District Court of North Dakota ordered the state to adopt a remedial legislative map proposed by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Tribe. In the order, Judge Peter Welte said that the new map "requires changes to only three districts ... and is the least intrusive option that complies with the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution."[18][19]
The U.S. District Court of North Dakota struck down the state's legislative map on November 17, 2023, saying in its ruling in the case Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. the Secretary of State of North Dakota, "The Secretary is permanently enjoined from administering, enforcing, preparing for, or in any way permitting the nomination or election of members of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly from districts 9 and 15 and subdistrict 9A and 9B. The Secretary and Legislative Assembly shall have until December 22, 2023, to adopt a plan to remedy the violation of Section 2."[20] North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) signed legislation enacting the state's legislative map on November 11, 2021.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 North Dakota Century Code, "Chapter 16.1-11, Section 6," accessed February 6, 2014
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Running for Partisan Statewide Executive Office in 2018," accessed October 17, 2017
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Running for U.S. Congress," accessed October 17, 2017
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Affidavit of Candidacy," accessed February 6, 2014
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Statement of Interests," accessed February 6, 2014
- ↑ North Dakota Century Code, "Chapter 16.1-11, Section 10," accessed February 6, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 North Dakota Secretary of State, "2014 North Dakota Election Calendar," accessed February 6, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 North Dakota Secretary of State, "Running for Partisan Statewide Executive Office in 2014," accessed February 6, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 North Dakota Secretary of State, "Running for the ND Legislature," accessed February 6, 2014
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 North Dakota Secretary of State, "Running for U.S. Congress," accessed February 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia email communication with Curly Haugland on February 17, 2018
- ↑ North Dakota Century Code, "Chapter 16.1-12, Section 02," accessed February 7, 2014
- ↑ North Dakota Century Code, "Chapter 16.1-12, Section 4," accessed February 7, 2014
- ↑ North Dakota Century Code, "Chapter 16.1-12, Section 2.2," accessed February 7, 2014
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Certificate of Write-in Candidacy," accessed February 7, 2014
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ North Dakota Constitution, "Article IV, Section 7," accessed February 12, 2021
- ↑ United States District Court for the District of North Dakota, "Case No. 3:22-cv-22 Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, et al., vs. Michael Howe," accessed January 8, 2024
- ↑ Twitter, "RedistrictNet," January 10, 2024
- ↑ U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, "Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians vs. Michael Howe, in his Official Capacity as Secretary of State of North Dakota," November 17, 2022
Leadership
Majority Leader:David Hogue
Minority Leader:Kathy Hogan
Senators
Republican Party (42)
Democratic Party (5)
