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North Dakota Treasurer election, 2016
2020 →
← 2012
|
 |
June 14, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Kelly Schmidt (R) |
Kelly Schmidt (R) |
Governor and Lt. Governor • Treasurer Down Ballot Auditor • Insurance Commissioner Public Service Commission Superintendent of Schools |
April 11, 2016 |
March 31-April 2, 2016  April 1-3, 2016  |
June 14, 2016 |
September 6, 2016 |
October 18, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
TBD |
December 15, 2016 |
North Dakota held an election for state treasurer on November 8, 2016. Incumbent Kelly Schmidt (R) won election to a fourth term.
Overview
The North Dakota state treasurer manages the state's investments, keeps track of unclaimed property, offers college scholarships, and maintains tax distribution.
Prior to the 2016 election, North Dakota had been under Republican trifecta control since 1995. The office of treasurer was largely controlled by Democrats from 1965 to 2005; though prior to 1965, Republicans had held the seat since 1895.
Incumbent Republican Kelly Smith ran for re-election to a fourth term in 2016. She won re-election in 2008 and 2012 by margins of greater than 20 percentage points. Democratic state Sen. Tim Mathern and Libertarian Eric Olson were both unopposed for their parties' nominations and competed with Schmidt in the November 8 general election. Schmidt won the general election on November 8, 2016.
Candidates
Tim Mathern (D)
State senator since 1987
Kelly Schmidt (R)
Incumbent state treasurer since 2005
Eric Olson (Lib.)
Business owner
Results
General election
Incumbent Kelly Schmidt defeated Tim Mathern and Eric Olson in the North Dakota treasurer election.
| North Dakota Treasurer, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Kelly Schmidt Incumbent |
62.95% | 204,733 | |
| Democratic | Tim Mathern | 29.27% | 95,191 | |
| Libertarian | Eric Olson | 7.63% | 24,829 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.15% | 491 | ||
| Total Votes | 325,244 | |||
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
Primary elections
Tim Mathern ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for treasurer.
| Democratic primary for treasurer, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Tim Mathern (unopposed) |
99.81% | 17,120 |
| Write-in votes | 0.19% | 33 |
| Total Votes (432 of 432 precincts reporting) | 17,153 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Kelly Schmidt ran unopposed in the Republican primary for treasurer.
| Republican primary for treasurer, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kelly Schmidt Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.74% | 92,900 |
| Write-in votes | 0.26% | 244 |
| Total Votes (432 of 432 precincts reporting) | 93,144 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||
Eric Olson ran unopposed in the Libertarian primary for treasurer.
| Libertarian primary for treasurer, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Eric Olson (unopposed) |
99.53% | 1,068 |
| Write-in votes | 0.47% | 5 |
| Total Votes (432 of 432 precincts reporting) | 1,073 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||
Context of the 2016 election
Primary elections
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. North Dakota utilizes an open primary system, in which voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[1][2][3] In North Dakota, major party candidates are usually nominated or endorsed by the party at the state conventions, which take place prior to the primary elections. Often, candidates who do not receive the endorsements do not file to run in the primary, however that is not mandatory and major party candidates can and do run in the primary regardless of receiving the official party nod.
Primary contests for nonpartisan elections take the form of a top-two primary, with the top-two vote getters advancing to the general election.
North Dakota's primary elections took place on June 14, 2016.
Incumbent Kelly Schmidt (R)
Schmidt was first elected treasurer in 2004 by a margin of about 13 percentage points. She easily won re-election against Democratic challengers in 2008 and 2012 by margins of 23 and 30 percentage points respectively. In 2011, Schmidt was elected and served as president of the National Association of State Treasurers and was one of 28 delegates for North Dakota to the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Party control in North Dakota
North Dakota has been under Republican trifecta control since 1995, and Republicans have seen comfortable margins of victory in recent statewide elections. The 2012 Republican Dalrymple/Wrigley ticket for governor won by a nearly 30-point margin.[4] In 2014, Attorney General Stenehjem won a fifth term in office with over 74 percent of the vote.[5]
However, recent elections have also shown that popular Democrats can and do win statewide elections in North Dakota. Most recently, Heidi Heitkamp (D) narrowly defeated her Republican opponent in the United States Senate race in 2012, even as Mitt Romney carried the state by a nearly 20-point margin and Dalrymple was elected governor by an even larger margin.[6] Before Heitkamp, North Dakotans were represented in the United States Senate by Democrat Kent Conrad, who won election five times. During his 1992 re-election bid, he defeated Jack Dalrymple by a 30-point margin.[7][8]
The office of treasurer was largely controlled by Democrats from 1965 to 2005, with Republicans experiencing brief periods of control from 1969 to 1971 and 1981 to 1984. Prior to 1965, Republicans had controlled the office since 1895.[9] However, the last Democrat to hold the seat, Kathi Gilmore, won re-election in 2000 by less than 1 percentage point; Gilmore did not run for re-election in 2004. In contrast, Republican incumbent Kelly Schmidt, though first elected by a margin of 13 percentage points, was re-elected in 2008 and 2012 by margins of greater than 20 percent. Given Schmidt's incumbency advantage, it will be difficult for Democrats to win back the office in 2016.
North Dakota Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Thirty-one years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| 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 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 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 | R | R | R | R | R |
Campaigns
Campaign media
Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!
Democrats
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Republicans
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Libertarians
| Eric Olson (Lib.) | 
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About the office
The North Dakota treasurer is an elected executive position in the North Dakota state government. The treasurer is the chief financial officer of the state, is responsible for managing the state's money, and acts as the state's banker. The office manages the state's investments, keeps track of unclaimed property, offers college scholarships, and maintains tax distribution.
Incumbent
The incumbent was Republican Kelly Schmidt. She was first elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2008 and 2012. Her term expired in 2016.
Qualifications
Article V, Section 4 of the North Dakota Constitution establishes the qualifications to hold the office of treasurer:
| To be eligible to hold an elective office established by this article, a person must be a qualified elector of this state, must be at least twenty-five years of age on the day of the election, and must have been a resident of this state for the five years preceding election to office. To be eligible to hold the office of governor or lieutenant governor, a person must be at least thirty years old on the day of the election. The attorney general must be licensed to practice law in this state. |
- qualified North Dakota voter
- at least 25 years old
- a resident of North Dakota for at least the five preceding years
Authority
The state Constitution establishes the office of treasurer in Article V, Section 2:
|
The qualified electors of the state at the times and places of choosing members of the legislative assembly shall choose a governor, lieutenant governor, agriculture commissioner, attorney general, auditor, insurance commissioner, three public service commissioners, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, tax commissioner, and treasurer. ... |
Term Length
The four-year term length was established after an initiated constitutional amendment on the 1964 ballot was approved. Prior to this, the term length was two years.[10]
Past elections
2012
Incumbent Kelly Schmidt (R) won re-election in 2012. She defeated Ross Mushik (D) in the November 6, 2012 general election.
| North Dakota Treasurer General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Kelly Schmidt Incumbent |
65.9% | 197,041 | |
| Democratic | Ross Mushik | 34.1% | 101,795 | |
| Total Votes | 298,836 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Kelly L. Schmidt won re-election to the office of North Dakota Treasurer. She defeated Mitch Vance (D-NPL) in the general election.
| North Dakota Treasurer, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Kelly L. Schmidt Incumbent |
61.5% | 180,828 | |
| Democratic | Mitch Vance | 38.5% | 113,423 | |
| Total Votes | 294,251 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State. | ||||
2004
On November 2, 2004, Kelly Schmidt won election to the office of North Dakota Treasurer. She defeated Dean Meyer (D-NPL) in the general election.
| North Dakota Treasurer, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Kelly Schmidt Incumbent |
56.3% | 165,759 | |
| Democratic | Dean Meyer | 43.7% | 128,477 | |
| Total Votes | 294,236 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State. | ||||
2000
On November 7, 2000, Kathi Gilmore won to the office of North Dakota Treasurer. She defeated Randy A. Schobinger (R) in the general election.
| North Dakota Treasurer, 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kathi Gilmore |
50.7% | 138,538 | |
| Republican | Randy A. Schobinger | 49.3% | 134,487 | |
| Total Votes | 273,025 | |||
| Election results via North Dakota Secretary of State. | ||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms North Dakota treasurer election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
State profile
| 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 |
| 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) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in North Dakota. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
North Dakota voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in North Dakota, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.[11]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. North Dakota had three Retained Pivot Counties, 1.66 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More North Dakota coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in North Dakota
- United States congressional delegations from North Dakota
- Public policy in North Dakota
- Endorsers in North Dakota
- North Dakota fact checks
- More...
See also
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North Dakota government: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures Website, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "NORTH DAKOTA OFFICIAL ABSTRACT OF VOTES CAST AT THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD ON NOVEMBER 6, 2012," accessed Aug. 24, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Results, General Election - November 4, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "Election 2012: North Dakota," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ U.S. News, "10 things you didn't know about Kent Conrad," accessed Aug. 24, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "OFFICIAL ABSTRACT OF VOTES CAST AT THE SPECIAL ELECTION HELD DECEMBER 4,1992," accessed Aug. 24, 2015
- ↑ Digital Horizons, "North Dakota blue book, 2015-2017," accessed June 9, 2016
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State Archived Election Results, "Primary Election Results - 1964," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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