Ben Hanson was a 2018 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the At-Large Congressional District of North Dakota. Hanson did not appear on the candidate list following the filing deadline on April 9, 2018.
Hanson is a former Democratic member of the North Dakota House of Representatives, representing District 16 from 2012 to 2016. Hanson served as Minority Caucus Leader from 2015 to 2016.
Hanson earned his B.A. in political science from Minnesota State University-Moorhead. His professional experience includes working as a commercial realtor.
On January 21, 2013, Hanson, fellow Representatives Rick Becker, Dick Anderson, Thomas Beadle, Joe Heilman, Curt Hofstad, David Monson, Karen Rohr and Nathan Toman, and Senator Margaret Sitte introduced HB 1373 to restrict the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) by law enforcement agencies. This bill would have required agencies to receive a court warrant for any drone use, and such warrants would have only be obtainable for felony investigations. Exceptions would be made for drones used to patrol the Canadian border, aid law enforcement agencies where there is "reasonable suspicion" that quick action is necessary and evaluate damage during and after natural disasters. HB 1373 would have also allowed people injured by governmental violation of these restrictions to sue the offending law enforcement agencies. The bill would have expressly prohibited surveillance by drones with lethal or non-lethal weapons, private surveillance of other private parties without informed consent and surveillance of people exercising their constitutional rights of free speech and assembly. On January 28, the Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the bill. The bill passed the House of Representatives on February 22 and was sent to the state Senate. The bill died in the state Senate.
The filing deadline was on April 9, 2018, and the primary election took place on June 12, 2018.
Elections for the North Dakota House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 11, 2016.
Incumbent Ben Koppelman and Andrew Marschall defeated Lisa K. Dullum and incumbent Ben Hanson in the North Dakota House of Representatives District 16 general election.North Dakota House of Representatives, District 16 General Election, 2016 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
Republican | Ben Koppelman Incumbent | 32.67% | 4,493 | |
Republican | Andrew Marschall | 23.27% | 3,200 | |
Democratic | Lisa K. Dullum | 22.45% | 3,087 | |
Democratic | Ben Hanson Incumbent | 21.61% | 2,972 | |
Total Votes | 13,752 | |||
Source: North Dakota Secretary of State |
North Dakota House of Representatives, District 16 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | |
Democratic | Lisa K. Dullum | |
Democratic | Ben Hanson Incumbent |
North Dakota House of Representatives, District 16 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | |
Republican | Ben Koppelman Incumbent | |
Republican | Andrew Marschall |
Hanson ran in the 2012 election for North Dakota State House District 16. Hanson and Mike Lindemann ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 12. Hanson and Ben Koppelman (R) defeated John Lund (D) and Harlan Goerger (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.
North Dakota House of Representatives, District 16 General Election, 2012 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
Republican | Ben Koppelman | 29% | 2,914 | |
Democratic | Ben Hanson | 26.6% | 2,675 | |
Democratic | John Lund | 23.4% | 2,357 | |
Republican | Harlan Goerger | 21% | 2,116 | |
Total Votes | 10,062 |