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Jon Godfread
Jon Godfread (Republican Party) is the North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance. He assumed office on January 3, 2017. His current term ends on January 1, 2029.
Godfread (Republican Party) ran for re-election for North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
A native North Dakotan, Godfread grew up in Grand Forks and attended the University of Northern Iowa. After graduation, Godfread spent six months playing professional basketball in Germany. Prior to attending law school, Godfread worked for two years as a branch manager and personal banker for Alerus Financial. While attending law school, he worked as a legislative council assistant for the North Dakota Legislature during the 2009 legislative session, and was a member of and associate editor for the law review at the University of North Dakota. Godfread became vice president of governmental affairs for the Greater North Dakota Chamber in August 2011.[1][2]
Education
2005: B.A., business administration, University of Northern Iowa
2011: J.D./M.B.A., The University of North Dakota School of Law
Political career
North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance (2017-Present)
Godfread won election to the office of North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance in 2016. He assumed office on January 3, 2017.[3]
Elections
2024
See also: North Dakota Insurance Commissioner election, 2024
General election
General election for North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance
Incumbent Jon Godfread won election in the general election for North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jon Godfread (R) | 98.2 | 302,532 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.8 | 5,414 | ||
| Total votes: 307,946 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance
Incumbent Jon Godfread advanced from the Republican primary for North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance on June 11, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jon Godfread | 99.6 | 81,445 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 345 | ||
| Total votes: 81,790 | |||
| = 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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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Godfread in this election.
2020
See also: North Dakota Insurance Commissioner election, 2020
General election
General election for North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance
Incumbent Jon Godfread won election in the general election for North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jon Godfread (R) | 97.7 | 295,095 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.3 | 6,813 | ||
| Total votes: 301,908 | |||
| = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Travisia Martin (D)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance
Travisia Martin advanced from the Democratic primary for North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Travisia Martin | 99.6 | 34,277 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 148 | ||
| Total votes: 34,425 | |||
| = 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 Commissioner of Insurance
Incumbent Jon Godfread advanced from the Republican primary for North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jon Godfread | 99.7 | 96,112 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 314 | ||
| Total votes: 96,426 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
In August 2020, Travisia Martin was disqualified from the general election after the North Dakota Supreme Court found her to be ineligible for election, ruling that Martin did not meet the office's five-year residency requirement.[4]
The state Democratic Party endorsed Jason Anderson as her replacement on the ballot, but the nomination was taken to the state Supreme Court. Because Martin was found ineligible to hold office, the Secretary of State argued that she was never eligible for the ballot and could not be replaced on the ballot. The Democratic Party argued that because she was certified to the primary ballot and advance to the general election, Martin's spot on the general ballot was open for a replacement. On September 4, 2020, the state Supreme Court ruled that Anderson should not be placed on the general election ballot. After the decision was announced, the state Democratic Party's attorney stated that the party would take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.[5][6]
2016
Godfread ran as a Republican for North Dakota insurance commissioner in 2016. He was unopposed in the Republican primary contest and faced Ruth Buffalo (D) and Nick Bata (Lib.) in the November 8 general election.[7]
Jon Godfread defeated Ruth Buffalo and Nick Bata in the North Dakota insurance commissioner election.
| North Dakota Insurance Commissioner, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Jon Godfread |
64.41% | 206,067 | |
| Democratic/Democrat-Nonpartisan League | Ruth Buffalo | 26.79% | 85,696 | |
| Libertarian | Nick Bata | 8.64% | 27,642 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.17% | 534 | ||
| Total Votes | 319,939 | |||
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
Jon Godfread ran unopposed in the Republican primary for insurance commissioner.
| Republican primary for insurance commissioner, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jon Godfread (unopposed) |
99.74% | 91,402 |
| Write-in votes | 0.26% | 235 |
| Total Votes (432 of 432 precincts reporting) | 91,637 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jon Godfread did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Jon Godfread did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Godfread's campaign website stated:
| “ | The most vital job I can fulfill in this role is to ensure the consumers of North Dakota are properly protected and educated about the insurance they purchase. You can count on me to guarantee our insurance companies are solvent and able to pay claims when they are called upon, without pricing consumers out of the market.
It is critical that your next Insurance Commissioner uphold an industry that is equitable to providers. I have the experience to work with providers to create a marketplace that is consistently administered, but yet flexible enough to allow for competition and innovation. Businesses thrive on certainty and my promise to the insurance industry is to be fair, reasonable, and accessible. Working with licensing agents and producers is also essential. These individuals are on the front lines, meeting with consumers, explaining policies, and making the numbers work. My office will be accessible to consumers and agents alike. It’s important that agents know their Insurance Commissioner and know I am open to their ideas. And, just as I hope to be a resource for agents, some of the best resources I will call upon are those individuals who are out in the business world, working with insurance products on day-to-day basis.[8][9] |
” |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
| North Dakota | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
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Candidate North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance |
Officeholder North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Jonathan Godfread, accessed June 11, 2016
- ↑ Godfread, "Meet Jon," accessed June 11, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedState - ↑ Insurance Journal, "Judge: North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Candidate Not Eligible to Run," August 19, 2020
- ↑ The Bismarck Tribune, "North Dakota Supreme Court hears new Democratic-NPL candidate dispute," September 2, 2020
- ↑ Bismarck Tribune, "Supreme Court rules against Democrats in insurance commissioner ballot dispute," September 4, 2020
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcandlist - ↑ Jon Godfread, accessed June 11, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Adam Hamm (R) |
North Dakota Commissioner of Insurance 2017-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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State of North Dakota Bismarck (capital) |
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