Jenna Vanhorne

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Jenna Vanhorne

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Associate

Bismarck State College, 2009

Personal

Religion

Nondenominational

Profession

Dairy farmer (cows and goats)

Jenna Vanhorne (Democratic Party) ran for election to the North Dakota State Senate to represent District 14. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Vanhorne completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jenna Vanhorne was born in Fort Leonardwood, Missouri. She obtained an associate degree from Bismarck State College in 2009. Her professional experience includes working as a dairy farmer dealing with cows and goats. She was a page during the 2019 North Dakota legislative session. She has served as a secretary for the Nonpartisan League.

Elections

2020

See also: North Dakota State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for North Dakota State Senate District 14

Incumbent Jerry Klein defeated Jenna Vanhorne in the general election for North Dakota State Senate District 14 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jerry Klein (R)	79.2	6,152
		Jenna Vanhorne (D)	20.7	1,612
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	7

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,771
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Dakota State Senate District 14

Jenna Vanhorne advanced from the Democratic primary for North Dakota State Senate District 14 on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jenna Vanhorne	99.9	744
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 745
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Dakota State Senate District 14

Incumbent Jerry Klein advanced from the Republican primary for North Dakota State Senate District 14 on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jerry Klein	99.4	3,393
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	20

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,413
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jenna Vanhorne completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vanhorne's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I with my mother and two kids helping to run our dairy farm that sits on my families original 1885 homestead. I grew up in Steele and went to college at Bismarck State. I've been a CNA, cashier, business manager, machinery assembler and even an opera/jazz singer at one point.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I'm a small farmer running as a voice for other small farmers and small businesses.
• Rural healthcare is lacking not only in emergency services but also in mental health services. I would push for better funding so that each county's health service would include a full time therapist and/or addiction counselor.
• North Dakota's strength is in her families. Building strong families and educating our children should be our first priority.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Meat prices skyrocketing in the grocery stores and cattle and pork prices falling are two results of covid we cannot ignore. After seeing this in March, I decided to create a petition to create state owned meat packing facilities that would be backed by the Bank of North Dakota. Following in my Nonpartisan League forefathers footsteps, I hope this will create a stable market both for consumers and producers.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my grandfather. Him and my grandmother raised ten kids in 4 bedroom house. He worked the fields, milked the cows and instilled strong family values and work ethic in each of this children. It seemed like he never stopped and even in his last days while his body was failing, his mind was just as sharp as it was in his twenties. He was a respected member of the community and loved by all. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who had something bad to say about him.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, loyalty to all of their constituents, effectiveness and dedication I would say are most important.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am persistent and dedicated. I have a huge heart and always stick up for those that have been forgotten about or downtrodden.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Elected officials have a duty to research each bill efficiently before voting on it and see how it will directly affect their constituents.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave a legacy of doing everything I could to help farmers and the average working man.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

When I was fifteen, I went to seven different countries touring Europe with a choir and band. I will never forget the places I saw, the people I met and the feeling I got singing in Notre Dame Cathedral. It was magical.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was at the Big D at Lake Isabel near Dawson, ND. I worked the counter and prepared food. It was a summer job and I learned a lot about customer service.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I have a book of poems I love. It has Kipling, Lord Tennyson and so many others. I would tell you the name but the front cover is so worn I cant see it anymore. It's not the name that matters, but what's inside it and what it means to me that's important.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Batman. Always be Batman if you have the chance to be.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Ave Maria. I love to sing it in the parlour when I'm cleaning up. The acoustics are so wonderful it gives one an angelic sense of wonder.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I struggle with mental illness and at one time, even addiction. I feel these struggles will bring an understanding to the government that no one else can bring. I've been homeless on the streets of Rockford, Illinois which has the highest murder rate per capita in the United States. We can no longer guess when we attempt to fix these problems. This experience gives me a significant edge at creating effective legislation to combat these issues head on.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes. It helps knowing how processes work in order to be of better service to constituents.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

We need to invest in our small businesses and give them opportunity to expand. Many people are going to be needing jobs because of the coal mine closing and waning oil industry.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

They should work together to create better policies for North Dakotans.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. In order to create effective legislation, diversity of opinion MUST be had and common ground found.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

In this case, I will go with what my constituents would decide. No man is an island.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Agriculture and Human Services

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Arthur C. Townley

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Yes

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I called a man and he was explaining to me how bad the roads were up by rugby. We had a very wet spring and a lot of roads were washed out. He told me he had called our current Senator and asked him what was to be done and was hung up on. This was infuriating to me. This is not what a public servant does. I have dou led down on my efforts to win this race because of it.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Footnotes

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Current members of the North Dakota State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:David Hogue

Minority Leader:Kathy Hogan

Senators

District 1

Brad Bekkedahl (R)

District 2

Mark Enget (R)

District 3

Bob Paulson (R)

District 4

Chuck Walen (R)

District 5

Randy Burckhard (R)

District 6

Paul Thomas (R)

District 7

Michelle Axtman (R)

District 8

Jeffery Magrum (R)

District 9

Richard Marcellais (D)

District 10

Ryan Braunberger (D)

District 11

Tim Mathern (D)

District 12

Cole Conley (R)

District 13

Judy Lee (R)

District 14

Jerry Klein (R)

District 15

Kent Weston (R)

District 16

David Clemens (R)

District 17

Jonathan Sickler (R)

District 18

Scott Meyer (R)

District 19

Janne Myrdal (R)

District 20

Randy Lemm (R)

District 21

Kathy Hogan (D)

District 22

Mark Weber (R)

District 23

Todd Beard (R)

District 24

Mike Wobbema (R)

District 25

Larry Luick (R)

District 26

Dale Patten (R)

District 27

Kristin Roers (R)

District 28

Robert Erbele (R)

District 29

Terry Wanzek (R)

District 30

Diane Larson (R)

District 31

Donald Schaible (R)

District 32

Dick Dever (R)

District 33

Keith Boehm (R)

District 34

Justin Gerhardt (R)

District 35

Sean Cleary (R)

District 36

Desiree Van Oosting (R)

District 37

Dean Rummel (R)

District 38

David Hogue (R)

District 39

Greg Kessel (R)

District 40

Jose Castaneda (R)

District 41

Kyle Davison (R)

District 42

Claire Cory (R)

District 43

Jeff Barta (R)

District 44

Joshua Boschee (D)

District 45

Ronald Sorvaag (R)

District 46

Michelle Powers (R)

District 47

Mike Dwyer (R)

Republican Party (42)

Democratic Party (5)