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Incumbent Al Jaeger (R) ran for re-election as an independent in North Dakota's secretary of state race. He faced state Sen. Joshua Boschee (D). Jaegar originally announced that he would not seek re-election in 2018 for the first time in 26 years. His announcement followed the Republican state party deciding to endorse challenger Will Gardner over Jaeger.
However, Gardner dropped out of the race in May, two days after a news story was published detailing an incident in 2006 where Gardner was accused of and pleaded to disorderly conduct. According to Inforum, the charge included "intrusive" acts meant to adversely affect the "privacy of another person." Although Gardner dropped out after the filing deadline, his name still appeared on the primary ballot. He officially withdrew his candidacy following the primary election.
Following Gardner's withdrawal announcement, Jaegar filed as an independent because the Republican filing deadline had already passed.
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in North Dakota from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the North Dakota Secretary of State.
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in North Dakota every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), North Dakota 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Donald Trump |
63.0% |  Hillary Clinton |
27.2% | 35.8% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
58.3% | Barack Obama |
38.7% | 19.6% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
53.3% | Barack Obama |
44.6% | 8.7% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
62.9% | John Kerry |
35.5% | 27.4% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
60.7% | Al Gore |
33.1% | 27.6% |
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in North Dakota from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), North Dakota 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | John Hoeven |
78.5% | Eliot Glassheim |
17.0% | 61.5% |
| 2012 | Heidi Heitkamp |
50.2% | Rick Berg |
49.3% | 0.9% |
| 2010 | John Hoeven |
76.1% | Tracy Potter |
22.2% | 53.9% |
| 2006 | Kent Conrad |
68.8% | Dwight Grotberg |
29.5% | 39.3% |
| 2004 | Byron Dorgan |
68.3% | Mike Liffrig |
31.7% | 36.6% |
| 2000 | Kent Conrad |
61.4% | Duane Sand |
38.6% | 22.8% |
This chart shows the results of the gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in North Dakota.
Election results (Governor), North Dakota 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Doug Burgum |
76.5% | Marvin Nelson |
19.4% | 57.1% |
| 2012 | Jack Dalrymple |
63.1% | Ryan Taylor |
34.3% | 28.8% |
| 2008 | John Hoeven |
74.4% | Tim Mathern |
23.5% | 50.9% |
| 2004 | John Hoeven |
71.3% | Joe Satrom |
27.4% | 43.9% |
| 2000 | John Hoeven |
55.0% | Heidi Heitkamp |
45.0% | 10.0% |
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Congressional delegation, North Dakota 2000-2016
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2010 | 1 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+1 |
| 2008 | 0 |
0.0% | 1 |
100.0% | D+1 |
| 2006 | 0 |
0.0% | 1 |
100.0% | D+1 |
| 2004 | 0 |
0.0% | 1 |
100.0% | D+1 |
| 2002 | 0 |
0.0% | 1 |
100.0% | D+1 |
| 2000 | 0 |
0.0% | 1 |
100.0% | D+1 |
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
North Dakota Party Control: 1992-2020
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-six years of Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Demographic data for North Dakota
| North Dakota | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 756,835 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 69,001 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 49% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 88.7% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 5.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 2.9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.7% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.7% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $57,181 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in North Dakota. | ||
As of July 2016, North Dakota's three largest cities were Fargo (pop. est. 120,000), Bismarck (pop. est. 73,000), and Grand Forks (pop. est. 57,000).
