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 currently has very weak electoral power in the state,controlling none of North Dakota's statewide or federal elected offices.
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.
Arthur Albert Link was an American politician and farmer of the North Dakota Democratic Party,and later the Democratic-NPL. He served as a U.S. Representative from 1971 to 1973 and as the 27th Governor of North Dakota from 1973 to 1981.
George Albert Sinner was an American politician who served as the 29th governor of North Dakota from 1985 to 1992. He served two four-year terms and was the most recent governor of North Dakota from his party,the North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party.
David Paul Maskinbak O'Connell is a North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party politician who represented the 6th district in the North Dakota Legislative Assembly from 1983 to 2016. He served as North Dakota Senate Minority Leader from 1989 to 2011,eventually stepping down from party leadership to spend more time with his wife,who was having health problems at the time. Before serving in the Senate,he was a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1983 through 1988.
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 an American politician and 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.
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.
Carolyn Nelson is a North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party member of the North Dakota Senate,representing the 21st district since 1994. She currently serves as Assistant Minority Leader. She was previously a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives,representing the 45th District from 1986 through 1988,and the 21st District from 1992 through 1994.
Pam Gulleson is a former member of the North Dakota House of Representatives for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party,representing the 26th district from 1993 to 2009. She is now Vice President of Public Affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota.
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.
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 North Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 6,2012 to elect a Governor and Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota,concurrently with the 2012 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. Incumbent Governor Jack Dalrymple succeeded to the office when then-Governor John Hoeven resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2010. Dalrymple,a member of the Republican Party,won election to a full term. Ryan Taylor was the Democratic nominee. Dalrymple prevailed with 63% of the vote;he declined to seek re-election in 2016.
McLain Joseph "Mac" 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.
Billie Harmon Sutton is an American former professional bronc rider and politician. He was a member of the South Dakota Senate from 2011 to 2019,served as Minority Leader,and was the 2018 Democratic nominee for Governor of South Dakota,which he narrowly lost to Republican nominee Kristi Noem in the general election.
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.
