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Turnout | 60.6% (voting eligible) [1] | ||||||||||||||||
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Heitkamp: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 80–90% Berg: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in North Dakota |
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The 2012 United States Senate election in North Dakota took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election, other United States Senate elections, United States House of Representatives elections, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic-NPL Senator Kent Conrad decided to retire instead of running for reelection to a fifth term.
Though each party endorses a single candidate in state conventions in the spring, ballot access for the general election was determined in a primary election held on June 12, 2012. [2]
Heidi Heitkamp, a Democratic-NPL former North Dakota Attorney General, won the open seat over Republican Rick Berg, North Dakota's at-large U.S. Representative, by a margin of 0.9%. [3] Heitkamp outperformed President Barack Obama by 20.5%, the latter having lost North Dakota by 19.6% in the concurrent presidential election. [4] Heitkamp's very narrow winning margin made it the closest race of the 2012 United States Senate elections.
As of 2024 [update] , this was the last time a Democrat won a federal and/or statewide election in North Dakota. [5]
The North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party held their state convention March 16–18, 2012, in Grand Forks. Former state attorney general and 2000 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Heidi Heitkamp was uncontested in seeking the official party nomination and was the only member of the party elected to appear on the state primary ballot. [6]
North Dakota Republicans endorsed U.S. Representative Rick Berg at their convention, though general election ballot access is determined by a statewide primary election held on June 12, 2012. In contrast to state political tradition, declared candidate Duane Sand did not seek the party endorsement, trying instead to defeat Berg on the June primary ballot. [20]
Individuals
Organizations
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Rick Berg | Duane Sand | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mason-Dixon [37] | June 4–6, 2012 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 73% | 16% | 11% |
Essman Research [38] | May 3–8, 2012 | 500 | ± 4.3% | 65% | 21% | 14% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rick Berg | 67,849 | 66.41% | |
Republican | Duane Sand | 34,209 | 33.48% | |
Republican | Write-ins | 111 | .41% | |
Total votes | 102,281 | 100.00% |
Candidate (party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand | Debt |
---|---|---|---|---|
Heidi Heitkamp (D-NPL) | $5,341,362 | $5,318,232 | $23,130 | $0 |
Rick Berg (R) | $6,501,693 | $6,129,026 | $316,641 | $0 |
Source: Federal Election Commission [41] [42] |
Heidi Heitkamp | Contribution | Rick Berg | Contribution |
---|---|---|---|
Motley Rice LLC | $41,750 | Verizon Communications | $43,666 |
Council for a Livable World | $26,705 | Elliott Management Corporation | $29,413 |
Weitz & Luxenberg | $22,400 | NORPAC | $26,700 |
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP | $15,050 | Mewbourne Oil Co | $25,000 |
Medcenter One Health Systems | $12,000 | Rurban Financial | $22,700 |
American Association for Justice | $10,833 | Hess Corp | $22,500 |
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld | $10,750 | NACCO Industries | $22,000 |
American Federation of Teachers | $10,300 | Marathon Oil | $21,000 |
Patton Boggs LLP | $10,250 | Berkshire Hathaway | $20,500 |
American Postal Workers Union | $10,000 | Koch Industries | $20,000 |
Heidi Heitkamp | Contribution | Rick Berg | Contribution |
---|---|---|---|
Lawyers/law firms | $433,811 | Oil & gas | $433,949 |
Leadership PACs | $284,500 | Leadership PACs | $277,163 |
Women's issues | $111,593 | Financial institutions | $274,941 |
Lobbyists | $103,635 | Retired | $218,909 |
Retired | $100,812 | Real estate | $171,686 |
Agribusiness | $78,450 | Agribusiness | $163,583 |
Public sector unions | $73,800 | Insurance | $140,011 |
Financial institutions | $64,713 | Commercial banks | $127,140 |
Education | $60,960 | Health professionals | $114,438 |
Building trade unions | $52,500 | Mining | $106,804 |
In early October 2012, Crossroads GPS announced that it would launch a $16 million advertising buy in national races, of which four were this and three other Senate elections. [45]
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report [46] | Tossup | November 1, 2012 |
Inside Elections [47] | Tilt R (flip) | November 2, 2012 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball [48] | Lean R (flip) | November 5, 2012 |
Real Clear Politics [49] | Tossup | November 5, 2012 |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Heidi Heitkamp (D-NPL) | Rick Berg (R) | Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pharos Research [50] | November 2–5, 2012 | 503 | ± 4.1% | 47% | 49% | — | 4% |
Pharos Research [51] | October 26–28, 2012 | 752 | ± 3.6% | 50% | 48% | — | 2% |
Mason-Dixon [52] | October 26–28, 2012 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 45% | 47% | — | 8% |
The Mellman Group (D-Heitkamp) [53] | October 21–24, 2012 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 48% | 44% | — | 7% |
Pharos Research [54] | October 19–21, 2012 | 807 | ± 3.4% | 49% | 48% | — | 3% |
The Mellman Group (D-Heitkamp) [55] | October 16–19, 2012 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 45% | 42% | — | 13% |
Rasmussen Reports [56] | October 17–18, 2012 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 45% | 50% | — | 5% |
Essman Research [57] | October 12–15, 2012 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 40% | 50% | — | 10% |
Mason-Dixon [58] | October 3–5, 2012 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 47% | 47% | — | 6% |
DFM Research (D) [59] | September 24–27, 2012 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 48% | 44% | — | 8% |
DFM Research (D) [60] | July 24–26, 2012 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 50% | 44% | — | 6% |
Rasmussen Reports [61] | July 10–11, 2012 | 400 | ± 5.0% | 40% | 49% | 2% | 8% |
Mason-Dixon [37] | June 4–6, 2012 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 47% | 46% | — | 7% |
Essman Research [38] | May 3–8, 2012 | 500 | ± 4.3% | 44% | 51% | — | 5% |
DFM Research (D) [62] | April 18–26, 2012 | 478 | ± 4.5% | 49% | 44% | 1% | 6% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic–NPL | Heidi Heitkamp | 161,337 | 50.24% | −18.58% | |
Republican | Rick Berg | 158,401 | 49.32% | +19.79% | |
Write-in | 1,406 | 0.44% | N/A | ||
Total votes | 321,144 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
Democratic–NPL hold |
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Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
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John Henry Hoeven III 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 North Dakota from 2000 to 2010.
Mary Kathryn "Heidi" Heitkamp is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from North Dakota from 2013 to 2019. A member of the North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party, she was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from North Dakota. Heitkamp served as the 20th North Dakota tax commissioner from 1986 to 1992 and as the 28th North Dakota attorney general from 1992 to 2000. As of 2024, she is the last Democrat to hold or win statewide and/or congressional office in North Dakota.
Joel Curtis Heitkamp is an American talk radio host and politician who served as a member of the North Dakota Senate for the 26th district from 1994 to 2008.
Duane Sand is an American businessman and politician. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and was a U.S. Navy officer during the Iraq War. Sand ran for the United States Senate in North Dakota on the Republican ticket in 2000 against incumbent Kent Conrad of the Democratic-Nonpartisan League, and was called for duty after the election in 2001. Upon returning, he ran for North Dakota's lone House seat in 2004 and 2008, but failed both times to defeat incumbent Earl Pomeroy. In August 2011, Sand announced his bid to become the 2012 Republican nominee for the same Senate seat he ran for 11 years prior. He lost the Republican nomination to Representative Rick Berg. Sand previously served as the North and South Dakota Director for Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political advocacy group.
Richard Alan Berg is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for North Dakota's at-large congressional district from 2011 to 2013. Berg served on the House Ways and Means Committee. He is a member of the Republican Party. Before his election to Congress in 2010, he served in the state North Dakota House of Representatives, with stints as majority leader and speaker. On May 16, 2011, Berg announced his run for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Democratic incumbent Kent Conrad but lost narrowly to Democrat Heidi Heitkamp on November 6, 2012.
Kevin John Cramer is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator for North Dakota since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he represented North Dakota's at-large congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019.
Gary Lee Emineth is an American businessman and political figure. He is the former chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party and a former member of the Republican National Committee, having served in both positions from 2007 to 2010. Emineth served as an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from North Dakota. Emineth served on the Washburn, North Dakota city council in the early 1980s and lost a bid for seat in the North Dakota House of Representatives in 1984.
The 2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota took place on November 2, 2010, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan announced in January 2010 that he would not seek reelection, leading to the first open seat election since 1992. Governor John Hoeven won the seat in a landslide, taking 76.1% of the vote, sweeping every county in the state, and becoming North Dakota's first Republican senator since 1987. Hoeven's 54 point margin of victory was a dramatic and historic shift from the previous election for this seat, when Dorgan won reelection in a 36-point landslide and himself swept every county in the state.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of North Dakota on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, with primary elections being held on June 8, 2010.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives election in North Dakota was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the U.S. representative from the state's at-large congressional district. The election coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election and an election to the U.S. Senate. A primary election was held on June 12, 2012; a candidate must receive at least 300 votes to appear on the general election ballot in November.
The 2016 United States Senate election in North Dakota was held November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of North Dakota, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primaries were held June 14.
The 2016 North Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. This would have been the first time North Dakotans selected a governor under new voter ID requirements, in which a student ID was insufficient identification to vote, but a court ruling in August 2016 struck the down the provision; the election was held under the 2013 rules.
Ricky Clark Becker is an American businessman and politician from Bismarck. He served in the North Dakota House of Representatives as a Republican from 2012 to 2022.
The state of North Dakota held a series of elections on November 6, 2012. In addition to selecting presidential electors, North Dakotan voters selected one of its two United States Senators and its lone United States Representative, as well as seven statewide executive officers and one Supreme Court Justice. Primary elections were held on June 12, 2012.
The 2018 United States Senate election in North Dakota took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of North Dakota, concurrently with other elections to the U.S. Senate, as well as other federal, state and local elections in North Dakota.
The 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of North Dakota, concurrently with other federal and statewide elections, including the U.S. presidential election. Incumbent Republican governor Doug Burgum and lieutenant governor Brent Sanford were both re-elected to a second term.
North Dakota held two statewide elections in 2018: a primary election on Tuesday, June 12, and a general election on Tuesday, November 6. In addition, each township elected officers on Tuesday, March 20, and each school district held their elections on a date of their choosing between April 1 and June 30.
The 1924 North Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1924.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives election in North Dakota will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States House of Representatives to represent the state of North Dakota from its at-large congressional district. The election will coincide with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the U.S. House, elections to the United States Senate, and various other state and local elections. The primary elections are scheduled for June 11, 2024.
Official campaign websites (Archived)