The North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the national Democratic Party. It was formed as the outcome of a merger of two parties;the state previously had a three-party political system. It is one of only two state Democratic Party affiliates to have a different name from the central party,the other being the neighboring Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party. The party controls no North Dakota federal or statewide elected offices as of 2023.
The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party.
Quentin Northrup Burdick was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party,he represented North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives (1959–1960) and the U.S. Senate (1960–1992). At the time of his death,he was the third longest-serving senator among current members of the Senate.
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.
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.
Timothy Mathern is a state senator in North Dakota. He also unsuccessfully ran for Governor of North Dakota in 2008.
Joan Heckaman is a former North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party member of the North Dakota Senate,representing the 23rd district. She served as Senate Minority Leader between 2016 and 2022.
Aaron Krauter is a North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party politician who served in the North Dakota Senate,representing the 35th district from 1990 to 2002 and the 31st district from 2003 to 2009. While in the Senate,Krauter served as Assistant Minority Leader from December 1996 until April 17,1999,when he became minority leader upon Senator Tim Mathern’s resignation. Krauter was Heidi Heitkamp's running mate in the 2000 North Dakota Gubernatorial Election but lost.
James Pomeroy was an American pastor in the United Methodist Church who served as a North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party member of the North Dakota Senate,representing the 27th district.
Tracy Potter is an American historian,politician and former member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. He represented District 35 in the North Dakota Senate from 2006 to 2010 and in 2022. He was also the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2010 and for Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2012. From 1993 to 2015,he served as executive director of The Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation.
Ryan M. Taylor is an American politician. A member of the Democratic-NPL Party,he served as the North Dakota State Senator from the 7th district from 2003 to 2013. Taylor spent his final two years as minority leader. He left the North Dakota Senate to run for the governorship,but was defeated by incumbent Republican Jack Dalrymple in the general election.
Mary O. Ekstrom is a North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party member of the North Dakota House of Representatives,representing the 11th district from 1999 to 2011.
Joe T. Kroeber is a North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party member of the North Dakota House of Representatives,representing the 12th district since 1999. He previously served from 1991 through 1995.
Kenton B. Onstad is the former Democratic-NPL Minority Leader in the North Dakota House of Representatives and was one of the two members who represents District 4,which is composed of Mountrail County,the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation,portions of Mercer County and a northern portion of Dunn County.
Steve Zaiser is a North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party member of the North Dakota House of Representatives,representing the 21st district from 2003 to 2014.
Arlo E. Schmidt was a North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party member of the North Dakota House of Representatives,representing the 7th district from 1995 to 2010.
McLain Joseph Schneider is an American attorney and politician who has served as the United States attorney for the District of North Dakota since December 2022. He previously represented the 42nd district in the North Dakota Senate from 2009 until his reelection defeat in 2016. A member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party,he served as the Senate Minority Leader from 2013 until the end of his Senate tenure. He was the Democratic-NPL endorsed candidate for the 2018 United States House of Representatives election in North Dakota.
North Dakota held two statewide elections in 2016:a primary election on Tuesday,June 14,and a general election on Tuesday,November 8. In addition,each township elected officers on Tuesday,March 15,and each school district selected a date between April 1 and June 30 to hold their elections. This would have been the first election since the state legislature revoked the ability to use a student or military ID to satisfy state ID voting requirements,but a court ruling in August struck the down the provision,and the election was held under the 2013 rules.
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.
JoNell Bakke is a former Democratic-NPL member of the North Dakota Senate from the 43rd district located in the Grand Forks area. Bakke previously served in the North Dakota Senate during the 60th Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2010. A retired special education teacher,Bakke earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Education at the University of North Dakota.
