North Dakota

What to expect in North Dakota’s state primaries

Published

2 years ago

June 7, 2024

What to expect in North Dakota’s state primaries

WASHINGTON (AP) — While possible Republican vice presidential hopeful Doug Burgum travels the country campaigning for former President Donald Trump, the race to succeed him back home as North Dakota governor tops the list of contests voters will decide in statewide and local primaries on Tuesday.

Burgum decided earlier this year not to seek a third term following his unsuccessful run for the White House. That created an opening not just for his own job but also for the state’s lone seat in the House.

Republican Kelly Armstrong has represented the state in Congress since his election in 2018 but has opted to run for governor rather than seek a fourth term in Washington. His primary opponent is Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller, who seeks a promotion after serving 17 months as Burgum’s second in command.

Armstrong won the endorsement of the state Republican party at its April convention, which Miller did not attend. Meanwhile, Burgum has endorsed Miller to succeed him.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Democratic state Sen. Merrill Piepkorn of Fargo, as well as independent candidate Michael Coachman, a frequent statewide office-seeker who led an unsuccessful effort to recall Burgum in 2021. Republicans have held the governor’s office since 1992.

Five Republicans and two Democrats are running to replace Armstrong in Congress. Vying for the GOP nomination are former foreign service officer and military veteran Alex Balazs, former state Rep. Rick Becker, Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak, attorney and former Miss America Cara Mund and Sharlet Mohr of Williston, an unsuccessful candidate for the Williston Basin School Board in 2023.

Balazs narrowly won the state party’s endorsement over Fedorchak after a prolonged vote at the state convention. Fedorchak leads the field in fundraising and had the largest campaign war chest as of late May. She is the only candidate in the field to have previously won statewide office.

In the Democratic primary, former teacher and military veteran Trygve Hammer faces frequent candidate Roland Riemers, who is simultaneously running for a seat on the Grand Forks School Board. Hammer has raised about $388,000 for the campaign and had about $141,000 in the bank as of late May.

Neither Riemers nor Mohr in the Republican primary has reported any campaign finance disclosures to the Federal Election Commission. A Democrat hasn’t won this seat since 2008.

Voters will also decide on a statewide ballot measure that would put an age limit on those running for the state’s U.S. Senate or House seats. People who would reach the age of 81 by the start of the final year of their term would be prohibited from appearing on the ballot.

Contested GOP primaries will be held in five state Senate and 10 state House districts. About half the seats in each chamber are up for election in November. Republicans have overwhelming supermajorities in both houses of the legislature.

Further down the ballot, Kirsten Baesler seeks another term as the state superintendent of public instruction. She faces three other candidates in the nonpartisan primary, including Republican Jason Heitkamp, a former state senator and cousin of former Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election.

Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer is also up for reelection this year, but both he and Democrat Katrina Christiansen are unopposed in their primaries.

Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:

PRIMARY DAY

The North Dakota state primary will be held Tuesday. The last polls close at 9 p.m. ET in the state’s westernmost counties, although polls in most of the state close at 8 p.m. ET. All polls close at 7 p.m. local time, but North Dakota spans two time zones.

WHAT’S ON THE BALLOT

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in 20 races. These include contested partisan primaries for governor, House, state Senate and state House, a nonpartisan primary for superintendent of public instruction and a statewide ballot measure on congressional age limits. Republican and Democratic primary contests appear on the same ballot, but voters may cast votes in only one party’s primaries.

WHO GETS TO VOTE

North Dakota does not have a formal statewide voter registration system. Any voter who meets the age, citizenship, residence and ID requirements may participate in the primary.

DECISION NOTES

The counties that usually have the biggest impact on North Dakota elections are Cass, home to Fargo and the most populous, and Burleigh, the home of the state capital of Bismarck. Grand Forks and Ward also have a sizable share of voters. A candidate with leads in these four counties would be difficult to overtake in a statewide contest.

In the gubernatorial race, Armstrong last won a competitive primary in 2018 for his first run for the House. He won that race with 56% of the vote, carrying Cass, Burleigh, Grand Forks and Ward.

For the at-large House seat, Republicans Fedorchak and Mund and Democrat Hammer all have previous statewide vote performances that may prove instructive. Fedorchak was unopposed in her 2022 Public Service Commission primary, but she won the general with 71% of the vote. Hammer received about 30% of the vote in his Public Service Commission race that year. Mund received 38% of the vote when she challenged Armstrong as an independent in 2022. She carried Cass County, but the bulk of those Fargo-area voters willing to vote for a pro-abortion rights independent against a GOP incumbent probably won’t be voting in this year’s Republican primary.

Other things to remember: The ballot measure on congressional age limits must receive at least 50% of the vote to pass. In the state House primaries, there are two winners per seat, and voters select up to two candidates.

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

North Dakota requires an automatic recount in primaries if the vote margin is 1% or less of the highest vote cast for a candidate of that office. Recounts for ballot measures are automatic if the vote margin is 0.25% or less of the top vote-getter’s vote total. A losing candidate may also request and pay for a recount if the vote margin is more than 1% but less than 2% of the highest vote cast for that office. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

WHAT DO TURNOUT AND ADVANCE VOTE LOOK LIKE?

In the 2022 primaries, North Dakota had a voting age population of about 585,000. That year, votes cast in the Republican Senate primary made up about 13% of the voting-age population, while votes in the Democratic primary made up about 4%. About 48% of votes in that election were cast before primary day.

As of Wednesday, a total of 27,271 ballots had been cast ballots before primary day.

HOW LONG DOES VOTE-COUNTING USUALLY TAKE?

In the 2022 primaries, the AP first reported results right at 9 p.m. ET as the final polls closed in the state. The election night tabulation ended at 1:10 a.m. ET with about 98% of total votes counted.

ARE WE THERE YET?

As of Tuesday, there will be 147 days until the November general election.

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North Dakota

Three can’t-miss games in southwest North Dakota

Published

2 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Three can’t-miss games in southwest North Dakota

DICKINSON — The end of January marks a critical time for teams across Southwest North Dakota. Wins are starting to become premium value, and standings are starting to take shape across all sports.

South Heart @ Hettinger-Scranton — Boys Basketball — Friday, Jan. 30

The Eagles are in the middle of the pack in the District 7 standings, sitting at fifth in the conference with a 1-1 record. South Heart is coming into Friday’s contest winning its last two outings, earning its first District 7 win over New England, 69-49, and then a tight non-conference win over Trenton, 67-58.

The game against New England was a back-and-forth first half, but the Eagles took control in the final 16 minutes, outscoring the Tigers 44-24. Garett Bargmann put up 29 points, which led all players on the floor.

The Nighthawks are heading into Friday’s game dropping their last two games, with the most recent being a close 59-56 loss to Divide County. Hettinger-Scranton led at half time, 25-23, but couldn’t pull away with a win. Gavin Parnow and Aidyn Fisher had strong performances in the game, with 19 and 18 points respectively.

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. MST at Scranton High School.

Trinity @ Killdeer — Girls Basketball — Friday, Jan. 30

The Trinity Titans defeated the Killdeer Cowboys 55-36 at the Knights of Columbus Activities Center on Tuesday, Jan. 6 in a Region 4 Class A matchup.

Jacob Cheris / The Dickinson Press

The Titans and Cowboys have played some really close games in the past. But the first meeting between the two clubs was a

lopsided affair that saw the Titans escape with a 55-36

win at the Knights of Columbus Activities Center.

Now the scene will shift to Killdeer in the final contest of the season-set. The Titans have been in some extremely tight games recently and have come out on both sides of the table. Trinity narrowly defeated Shiloh Christian, 46-44, to improve to 6-2 in Region 4 play and 8-6 overall.

The Cowboys are still searching for some consistency. Killdeer is riding a two-game losing skid and has losses in four out of its last five games.

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. MST at Killdeer High School.

Devils Lake @ Dickinson High — Girls Hockey — Saturday, Jan. 31

Dickinson Mavericks eighth-grade defenseman Zavrinna Pickstock shoots the puck from the point against the Bismarck Century Patriots on Friday, Jan. 23 at the West River Ice Center.

The last time these two teams met, the Mavericks won in a 2-1 overtime decision. Saturday’s contest is the back half of a back-to-back home weekend, where DHS will take on Grand Forks on Friday.

Saturday’s game is the best chance DHS has to get in the win column. The Firebirds are currently sitting in last place in the conference and don’t have a win this season. They’ve also struggled to put the puck in the back of the net, scoring just 10 goals through 13 games.

Dickinson (4-10, 1-10-2) was in a tight first period with Bismarck Century last Friday, but things once started to turn sideways in the second period, when the Patriots scored two goals on 19 shots and held DHS to three.

Puck drop is slated for 1 p.m. MST at the West River Ice Center.

Jacob Cheris covers a variety of high school and college sports. A graduate of Penn State University’s class of 2023, with a degree in broadcast journalism, he covered Penn State Men’s Hockey for three years. Jacob also covers Big Ten Hockey for College Hockey News.

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North Dakota

6 nominees advance for North Dakota Supreme Court vacancy

Published

14 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

6 nominees advance for North Dakota Supreme Court vacancy

North Dakota Supreme Court Justices, from left, Douglas Bahr, Daniel Crothers, Jon Jensen, Lisa Fair McEvers and Jerod Tufte hear arguments Dec. 18, 2023, in a case involving Summit Carbon Solutions and landowners. (Photo by Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – A committee has forwarded six candidates to Gov. Kelly Armstrong to be the next justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court.

The court seeks a replacement for Justice Daniel Crothers, who announced late last year his plans to retire in February after 20 years on the bench.

The six contenders are:

Philip Axt, a Bismarck resident and solicitor general for the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office
Mark Friese, a Fargo defense attorney
Michael Hurly, a judge for Northeast Judicial District in Rugby
Ryan Norrell, a Bismarck attorney who served as counsel to former Gov. Doug Burgum
Jacob Rodenbiker, an assistant U.S. attorney who lives in Fargo
Kirsten Sjue, a judge for the Northwest Judicial District in Williston

Armstrong, a Republican, can appoint someone from the pool of six, ask the committee for more nominees or refer the matter to the election ballot for a public vote.

The committee could have forwarded up to seven names. A total of 12 candidates applied.

The voting members of the nominating committee are Justice Jerod Tufte, Eric Lahlum, Taylor Olson, Laura Mihalick, Paul Forster and Garth Rydland.

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North Dakota

ND AG Wrigley joins 34 states demanding action on AI deepfakes

Published

1 day ago

January 26, 2026

Press Room

ND AG Wrigley joins 34 states demanding action on AI deepfakes

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley is among 35 state attorneys general demanding Elon Musk’s xAI company take immediate action to stop its Grok chatbot from creating nonconsensual sexual images of real people, including children.

In a letter sent to xAI on January 23, the coalition expressed “deep concern” about artificial intelligence-produced deepfake nonconsensual intimate images created through Grok, which is integrated with the X social media platform.

“Grok merits special attention given evidence that it both promoted and facilitated the production and public dissemination of such images, and made it all as easy as the click of a button,” the attorneys general wrote.

The attorneys general acknowledge xAI has taken some steps to address the issue, including implementing technical measures and meeting with state officials. However, they say those efforts “may not have completely solved the issues.”

Scale of the Problem

The letter cites multiple analyses documenting Grok’s image generation capabilities.

According to the attorneys general, one analysis found that over half of 20,000 images generated by Grok between Christmas and New Year’s depicted subjects, even those appearing to be children, in minimal attire.

Another analysis cited in the letter determined that Grok was producing vastly more nonconsensual intimate images than the most popular “nudifying” websites.

‘Feature, Not a Bug’

The attorneys general argue xAI purposefully designed Grok to generate explicit content, developing a “spicy mode” and marketing these capabilities as selling points.

“The ability to create nonconsensual intimate images appeared to be a feature, not a bug,” they wrote.

According to the letter, Grok allowed users to alter innocuous images of women without their knowledge or consent, depicting them in sexually explicit scenarios. Most alarmingly, the attorneys general claim the tool altered images of children to depict them in minimal clothing and sexual situations.

Legal Concerns

The creation and dissemination of child sexual abuse material is a crime. Various state and federal civil and criminal laws also forbid the creation of nonconsensual intimate images.

The coalition is calling on xAI to:

Ensure Grok can no longer produce nonconsensual intimate images
Eliminate content already produced
Suspend users who created these materials
Report creators to relevant authorities
Give X users control over whether their content can be edited by Grok
Ensure safeguards don’t merely place harmful content behind a paywall

The attorneys general noted xAI’s unique position connecting AI tools directly to a social media platform with hundreds of millions of users makes its actions “of utmost importance.”

“The steps you take to prevent and remove NCII will establish industry benchmarks to protect adults and children against harmful deepfake nonconsensual intimate images,” they wrote.

The bipartisan coalition includes attorneys general from Connecticut, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming, as well as American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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