2018 North Dakota Senate election

2018 North Dakota Senate election
November 6, 2018
24 out of 47 seats in the North Dakota Senate24 seats needed for a majority
Turnout57.04%
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Rich WardnerJoan Heckaman
Party RepublicanDemocratic–NPL
Leader since September 6, 2011 December 5, 2016
Leader's seat District 37 District 23
Last election 389
Seats after 3710
Seat change Decrease 1 Increase 1
Popular vote 100,13657,924
Percentage 62.52%36.17%
Majority Leader before election

Rich WardnerRepublican

Elected Majority Leader

Rich WardnerRepublican

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]

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
Governing[3]Safe R October 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
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanBrad Bekkedahl (incumbent) 4,390 79.01%
Democratic–NPLMelissa Johnson 1,152 20.73%
Scattering14 0.26%
Total votes5,556 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 3

District 3 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanOley Larsen (incumbent) 3,081 53.23%
IndependentAndrew Maragos 1,392 24.05%
Democratic–NPLJoseph Nesdahl 1,307 22.58%
Scattering8 0.14%
Total votes5,788 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 5

District 5 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanRandy Burckhard (incumbent) 3,912 69.23%
Democratic–NPLDavid Grimes Haugen 1,724 30.50%
Scattering15 0.27%
Total votes5,651 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 7

District 7 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanNicole Poolman (incumbent) 8,545 98.29%
Scattering149 1.71%
Total votes8,694 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 9

District 9 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic–NPLRichard Marcellais (incumbent) 4,377 98.49%
Scattering67 1.51%
Total votes4,444 100.0%
Democratic–NPLhold

District 11

District 11 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic–NPLTim Mathern (incumbent) 4,130 62.05%
RepublicanTodd McMichael 2,505 37.64%
Scattering21 0.31%
Total votes6,656 100.0%
Democratic–NPLhold

District 13

District 13 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanJudy Lee (incumbent) 4,151 58.42%
Democratic–NPLCarrie Leopold 2,939 41.36%
Scattering16 0.22%
Total votes7,106 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 15

District 15 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanDave Oehlke (incumbent) 4,113 67.59%
Democratic–NPLBarbara Vondell 1,955 32.13%
Scattering17 0.28%
Total votes6,085 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 17

District 17 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanRay Holmberg (incumbent) 5,176 59.03%
Democratic–NPLPhyllis Johnson 3,584 40.87%
Scattering9 0.10%
Total votes8,769 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 19

District 19 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanRobert Fors3,732 68.00%
Democratic–NPLNikolaus Groenewold 1,741 31.72%
Scattering15 0.28%
Total votes5,488 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 21

District 21 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic–NPLKathy Hogan3,482 65.12%
RepublicanSierra Heitkamp 1,835 34.32%
Scattering30 0.56%
Total votes5,347 100.0%
Democratic–NPLhold

District 23

District 23 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic–NPLJoan Heckaman (incumbent) 3,401 54.42%
RepublicanJudy Estenson 2,842 45.48%
Scattering6 0.10%
Total votes6,249 100.0%
Democratic–NPLhold

District 25

District 25 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanLarry Luick (incumbent) 3,154 50.07%
Democratic–NPLPerry Miller 3,133 49.74%
Scattering12 0.19%
Total votes6,299 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 27

District 27 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanKristin Roers5,047 55.61%
Democratic–NPLQuinn Joseph Garrick 4,014 44.23%
Scattering15 0.16%
Total votes9,076 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 29

District 29 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanTerry Wanzek (incumbent) 4,712 70.61%
Democratic–NPLKatherine Roth 1,952 29.25%
Scattering9 0.14%
Total votes6,673 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 31

District 31 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanDonald Schaible (incumbent) 4,682 64.94%
Democratic–NPLRachele Hall 2,510 34.81%
Scattering18 0.25%
Total votes7,210 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 33

District 33 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanJessica Unruh-Bell (incumbent) 6,314 98.23%
Scattering114 1.77%
Total votes6,428 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 35

District 35 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic–NPLErin Oban (incumbent) 3,992 54.31%
RepublicanGary Emineth 3,343 45.48%
Scattering16 0.21%
Total votes7,351 100.0%
Democratic–NPLhold

District 37

District 37 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanRich Wardner (incumbent) 5,212 81.22%
Democratic–NPLR. Travis Brazelton 1,186 18.48%
Scattering19 0.30%
Total votes6,417 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 39

District 39 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanDale Patten7,989 98.84%
Scattering94 1.16%
Total votes8,083 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 41

District 41 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanKyle Davison (incumbent) 3,607 51.50%
Democratic–NPLPaula Thomas 3,384 48.32%
Scattering13 0.18%
Total votes7,004 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 43

District 43 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic–NPLJoNell Bakke2,692 52.59%
RepublicanLonnie Laffen (incumbent) 2,420 47.27%
Scattering7 0.14%
Total votes5,119 100.0%
Democratic–NPLgain from Republican

District 45

District 45 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanRonald Sorvaag (incumbent) 3,478 59.52%
Democratic–NPLDanielle Pinnick 2,356 40.32%
Scattering9 0.16%
Total votes5,843 100.0%
Republicanhold

District 47

District 47 election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
RepublicanMike Dwyer 5,896 66.82%
Democratic–NPLBrandi Jude 2,913 33.01%
Scattering15 0.17%
Total votes8,824 100.0%
Republicanhold

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.
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