2018 North Dakota Senate election

Last updated

2018 North Dakota Senate election
Flag of North Dakota.svg
← 2016
November 6, 2018
2020  →
24 out of 47 seats in the North Dakota Senate
24 seats needed for a majority
Turnout57.04%
 Majority partyMinority party
  ND State Senator Rich Wardner and his wife, Kayleen (cropped).jpg 3x4.svg
Leader Rich Wardner Joan Heckaman
Party Republican Democratic–NPL
Leader sinceSeptember 6, 2011December 5, 2016
Leader's seatDistrict 37District 23
Last election389
Seats after3710
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 1Increase2.svg 1
Popular vote100,13657,924
Percentage62.52%36.17%
Majority Leader before election

Rich Wardner
Republican

Elected Majority Leader

Rich Wardner
Republican

The 2018 North Dakota Senate election was held on November 6, 2018, to determine which party would control the North Dakota Senate for the following two years in the 66th Legislative Assembly of North Dakota. The 24 odd-numbered seats out of the 47 seats in the North Dakota Senate were up for election and the primary was held on June 12, 2018. Prior to the election, 38 seats were held by Republicans and 9 seats were held by Democrats. The general election saw Democrats flip a single seat, thereby meaning that Republicans retained their majority in the State Senate. [1] [2]

Contents

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
Governing [3] Safe ROctober 8, 2018

Retirements

Democrats

  1. District 21: Carolyn Nelson retired.

Republicans

  1. District 19: Tom Campbell retired to unsuccessfully run for North Dakota's at-large congressional district.
  2. District 27: Jonathan Casper retired.
  3. District 39: Bill Bowman retired.
  4. District 47: Ralph Kilzer retired.

Incumbents defeated

In general

Republicans

  1. District 43: Lonnie Laffen lost re-election to JoNell Bakke.

Closest races

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

  1. District 25, 0.33%
  2. District 41, 3.18%
  3. District 43, 5.32% (gain)
  4. District 35, 8.83%
  5. District 23, 8.94%

Results

District 1

District 1 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Brad Bekkedahl (incumbent) 4,390 79.01%
Democratic–NPL Melissa Johnson1,15220.73%
Scattering140.26%
Total votes5,556 100.0%
Republican hold

District 3

District 3 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Oley Larsen (incumbent) 3,081 53.23%
Independent Andrew Maragos1,39224.05%
Democratic–NPL Joseph Nesdahl1,30722.58%
Scattering80.14%
Total votes5,788 100.0%
Republican hold

District 5

District 5 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Randy Burckhard (incumbent) 3,912 69.23%
Democratic–NPL David Grimes Haugen1,72430.50%
Scattering150.27%
Total votes5,651 100.0%
Republican hold

District 7

District 7 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Nicole Poolman (incumbent) 8,545 98.29%
Scattering1491.71%
Total votes8,694 100.0%
Republican hold

District 9

District 9 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic–NPL Richard Marcellais (incumbent) 4,377 98.49%
Scattering671.51%
Total votes4,444 100.0%
Democratic–NPL hold

District 11

District 11 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic–NPL Tim Mathern (incumbent) 4,130 62.05%
Republican Todd McMichael2,50537.64%
Scattering210.31%
Total votes6,656 100.0%
Democratic–NPL hold

District 13

District 13 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Judy Lee (incumbent) 4,151 58.42%
Democratic–NPL Carrie Leopold2,93941.36%
Scattering160.22%
Total votes7,106 100.0%
Republican hold

District 15

District 15 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Dave Oehlke (incumbent) 4,113 67.59%
Democratic–NPL Barbara Vondell1,95532.13%
Scattering170.28%
Total votes6,085 100.0%
Republican hold

District 17

District 17 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Ray Holmberg (incumbent) 5,176 59.03%
Democratic–NPL Phyllis Johnson3,58440.87%
Scattering90.10%
Total votes8,769 100.0%
Republican hold

District 19

District 19 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Robert Fors 3,732 68.00%
Democratic–NPL Nikolaus Groenewold1,74131.72%
Scattering150.28%
Total votes5,488 100.0%
Republican hold

District 21

District 21 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic–NPL Kathy Hogan 3,482 65.12%
Republican Sierra Heitkamp1,83534.32%
Scattering300.56%
Total votes5,347 100.0%
Democratic–NPL hold

District 23

District 23 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic–NPL Joan Heckaman (incumbent) 3,401 54.42%
Republican Judy Estenson2,84245.48%
Scattering60.10%
Total votes6,249 100.0%
Democratic–NPL hold

District 25

District 25 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Larry Luick (incumbent) 3,154 50.07%
Democratic–NPL Perry Miller3,13349.74%
Scattering120.19%
Total votes6,299 100.0%
Republican hold

District 27

District 27 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Kristin Roers 5,047 55.61%
Democratic–NPL Quinn Joseph Garrick4,01444.23%
Scattering150.16%
Total votes9,076 100.0%
Republican hold

District 29

District 29 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Terry Wanzek (incumbent) 4,712 70.61%
Democratic–NPL Katherine Roth1,95229.25%
Scattering90.14%
Total votes6,673 100.0%
Republican hold

District 31

District 31 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Donald Schaible (incumbent) 4,682 64.94%
Democratic–NPL Rachele Hall2,51034.81%
Scattering180.25%
Total votes7,210 100.0%
Republican hold

District 33

District 33 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Jessica Unruh-Bell (incumbent) 6,314 98.23%
Scattering1141.77%
Total votes6,428 100.0%
Republican hold

District 35

District 35 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic–NPL Erin Oban (incumbent) 3,992 54.31%
Republican Gary Emineth3,34345.48%
Scattering160.21%
Total votes7,351 100.0%
Democratic–NPL hold

District 37

District 37 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Rich Wardner (incumbent) 5,212 81.22%
Democratic–NPL R. Travis Brazelton1,18618.48%
Scattering190.30%
Total votes6,417 100.0%
Republican hold

District 39

District 39 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Dale Patten 7,989 98.84%
Scattering941.16%
Total votes8,083 100.0%
Republican hold

District 41

District 41 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Kyle Davison (incumbent) 3,607 51.50%
Democratic–NPL Paula Thomas3,38448.32%
Scattering130.18%
Total votes7,004 100.0%
Republican hold

District 43

District 43 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic–NPL JoNell Bakke 2,692 52.59%
Republican Lonnie Laffen (incumbent)2,42047.27%
Scattering70.14%
Total votes5,119 100.0%
Democratic–NPL gain from Republican

District 45

District 45 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Ronald Sorvaag (incumbent) 3,478 59.52%
Democratic–NPL Danielle Pinnick2,35640.32%
Scattering90.16%
Total votes5,843 100.0%
Republican hold

District 47

District 47 election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Mike Dwyer 5,896 66.82%
Democratic–NPL Brandi Jude2,91333.01%
Scattering150.17%
Total votes8,824 100.0%
Republican hold

References

  1. ↑ "North Dakota State Senate elections, 2018". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Legislative District Results". results.sos.nd.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  3. ↑ Jacobson, Louis (October 8, 2018). "A Month Before Election Day, Democrats Poised for Legislative Gains". Governing. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.