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Presidential election in North Dakota, 2020
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|
2020 presidential election  |
Democratic caucus: March 10, 2020 |
Republican convention: Canceled[1] |
Electoral College: Three votes |
President Donald Trump (R) won the presidential election in North Dakota on November 3, 2020. Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) won the presidential election with 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232 electoral votes.
Sen. Bernie Sanders won the Democratic caucus on March 10, 2020.[2]
The North Dakota Republican Party confirmed that Trump was the only candidate to qualify for the March 10 caucuses and would be allocated 100% of the state's delegates.[3][4] The party's state convention, originally scheduled for March 27-29, 2020, was canceled due to public health concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Delegates to the national convention were selected by mail-in ballot.[5]
North Dakota was one of seven states with three votes in the Electoral College, making it tied for fewest. North Dakota was carried by the Republican presidential nominee in every election between 1968 and 2016; the last Democrat to carry the state was Lyndon B. Johnson (D). Between 1900 and 2016, North Dakota backed the Republican candidate in 83.33% of elections and the Democratic candidate in 16.67%.
In the 2016 election, Trump carried North Dakota with 63% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's (D) 27.2% and Gary Johnson's (L) 6.2%.
This page includes the following sections:
- Candidates and election results
- Government response to coronavirus pandemic in North Dakota
- Democratic caucus
- Republican nominating convention
- Candidate filing requirements
- Historical election trends
- Presidential election by state
Election results
General election
Presidential election in North Dakota, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
 
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
65.1
|
235,595 | 3 |
 
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
31.8
|
114,902 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
2.6
|
9,393 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.5
|
1,929 | 0 | ||
 |
Total votes: 361,819 |
Primary election
North Dakota Democratic presidential primary on March 10, 2020
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
Pledged delegates |
|
 | Bernie Sanders |
53.3
|
7,682 | 8 |
|
| Joe Biden |
39.8
|
5,742 | 6 |
 | Elizabeth Warren |
2.5
|
366 | 0 |
 | Amy Klobuchar |
1.5
|
223 | 0 |
 | Pete Buttigieg |
1.1
|
164 | 0 |
 | Michael Bloomberg |
0.8
|
113 | 0 |
 | Tulsi Gabbard |
0.6
|
89 | 0 |
 | Andrew Yang |
0.1
|
20 | 0 |
 | Thomas Steyer |
0.0
|
6 | 0 |
 | Michael Bennet |
0.0
|
3 | 0 |
 | John Delaney |
0.0
|
3 | 0 |
 | Deval Patrick |
0.0
|
2 | 0 |
|
Total votes: 14,413 • Total pledged delegates: 14 |
Summary of changes to election dates and procedures
North Dakota did not modify any procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Frequently asked questions
The 2020 election took place against a backdrop of uncertainty. Our readers had questions about what to expect in elections at all levels of government, from the casting of ballots to the certification of final results. Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk was designed to answer those questions. Ballotpedia is in the process of compiling and answering frequently asked questions related to the 2020 elections. Questions related to this election will be available soon.
Additional resources
- Documenting North Dakota's path to recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021
- Government responses to and political effects of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 (North Dakota)
- School responses in North Dakota to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2020-2021 school year
- Debate in North Dakota over responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
- Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
Democratic caucus
- See also: Democratic presidential nomination, 2020
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) was formally nominated as the Democratic presidential nominee at the 2020 Democratic National Convention on August 18, 2020.[6] The convention was originally scheduled to take place July 13-16, 2020.[7] Organizers postponed the event in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Prior to the national convention, individual state caucuses and primaries were held to allocate convention delegates. These delegates vote at the convention to select the nominee. In 2020, a Democratic presidential candidate needed support from 1,991 delegates to secure the nomination.
With the plurality of pledged delegates, Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee on April 8, 2020, after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) suspended his presidential campaign.[8] Biden crossed the delegate threshold necessary to win the nomination on June 5, 2020.[9]
Biden announced U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D) as his running mate on August 11, 2020. Harris is the first Black woman to appear on a major party's ticket in the United States.[10]
Republican nominating convention
- See also: Republican presidential nomination, 2020
The Republican Party selected President Donald Trump as its presidential nominee at the 2020 Republican National Convention, which was held from August 24-27, 2020.[11]
Prior to the national convention, individual state caucuses and primaries were held to allocate convention delegates. These delegates vote at the convention to select the nominee. Trump crossed the delegate threshold necessary to win the nomination—1,276 delegates—on March 17, 2020.
George H.W. Bush (R) was the last incumbent to face a serious primary challenge, defeating political commentator Pat Buchanan in 1992. He was also the last president to lose his re-election campaign. Franklin Pierce (D) was the first and only elected president to lose his party's nomination in 1856.[12]
Sixteen U.S. presidents—approximately one-third—have won two consecutive elections.
Candidate filing requirements
The tables below detail filing requirements for presidential candidates in North Dakota in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in North Dakota, click here.
Presidential primary candidates
North Dakota does not conduct presidential preference primaries.
Independent presidential candidates
| Filing requirements for independent candidates in North Dakota, 2020 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Signatures required | Signature formula | Filing fee | Filing fee formula | Filing deadline | Source |
| North Dakota | 4,000 | Fixed by statute | N/A | N/A | 8/31/2020 | Source |
Historical election results
2016
General election
| U.S. presidential election, North Dakota, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 27.2% | 93,758 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
63% | 216,794 | 3 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 6.2% | 21,434 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1.1% | 3,780 | 0 | |
| American Delta | Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0.1% | 364 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.5% | 1,833 | 0 | |
| - | Write-in votes | 1.9% | 6,397 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 344,360 | 3 | |||
| Election results via: North Dakota Secretary of State | |||||
Primary election
| North Dakota Democratic Caucus, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Bernie Sanders |
64.2% | 253 | 13 | |
| Hillary Clinton | 25.6% | 101 | 5 | |
| Other | 10.2% | 40 | 0 | |
| Totals | 394 | 18 | ||
| Source: The New York Times | ||||
Vote totals represent the number of state convention delegates won.
2012
| U.S. presidential election, North Dakota, 2012 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Republican | Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan |
58.3% | 188,163 | 3 | |
| Democratic | Barack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent | 38.7% | 124,827 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Jim Gray | 1.6% | 5,231 | 0 | |
| N/A | Write-ins | 0.6% | 1,860 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala | 0.4% | 1,361 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Virgil Goode/James Clymer | 0.4% | 1,185 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 322,627 | 3 | |||
| Election results via: U.S. Election Atlas | |||||
2008
| U.S. presidential election, North Dakota, 2008 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Republican | John McCain/Sarah Palin |
53.2% | 168,887 | 3 | |
| Democratic | Barack Obama/Joe Biden | 44.5% | 141,403 | 0 | |
| Independent | Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez | 1.3% | 4,199 | 0 | |
| N/A | Write-ins | 0.4% | 1,123 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root | 0.3% | 1,067 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle | 0.3% | 1,059 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 317,738 | 3 | |||
| Election results via: U.S. Election Atlas | |||||
Presidential statewide margins of victory of 5 percentage points or fewer, 1948-2016
The following map shows the number of times, in presidential elections held between 1948 and 2016, that the margin of victory was 5 percentage points or fewer in each state.
- Wisconsin was the state with the most frequently narrow margins during this time period, appearing on the list in 10 presidential elections.
- Five states appeared eight times: Florida, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
- The state with the narrowest margin of victory was Florida in 2000 at 537 votes or one-hundredth of a percentage point.
Historical election trends
- See also: Presidential voting history by state
North Dakota presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 5 Democratic wins
- 27 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
- See also: Presidential election accuracy
Below is an analysis of North Dakota's voting record in presidential elections. The state's accuracy is based on the number of times a state has voted for a winning presidential candidate. The majority of statistical data is from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled, here, by Ballotpedia, unless otherwise noted.
Presidential election voting record in North Dakota, 1900-2016
Between 1900 and 2016:
- North Dakota participated in 30 presidential elections.
- North Dakota voted for the winning presidential candidate 70 percent of the time. The average accuracy of voting for winning presidential candidates for all 50 states in this time frame was 72.31 percent.[13]
- North Dakota voted Democratic 16.67 percent of the time and Republican 83.33 percent of the time.
Presidential election voting record in North Dakota, 2000-2016
- Accuracy: 60 percent[14]
- 2000 state winner: George W. Bush (R)*
- 2004 state winner: George W. Bush (R)*
- 2008 state winner: John McCain (R)
- 2012 state winner: Mitt Romney (R)
- 2016 state winner: Donald Trump (R)*
*An asterisk indicates that that candidate also won the national electoral vote in that election.
State profile
- See also: North Dakota and North Dakota elections, 2019
Partisan data
The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019
Presidential voting pattern
- North Dakota voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2018 elections, both U.S. Senators from North Dakota were Republicans.
- North Dakota's lone U.S. Representative was Republican.
State executives
- Republicans held 11 and an independent held one of North Dakota's 15 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
- North Dakota's governor was Republican Doug Burgum.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled the North Dakota State Senate with a 37-10 majority.
- Republicans controlled the North Dakota House of Representatives with a 79-15 majority.
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 |
|
|
| 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 election by state
- See also: Presidential election by state, 2020
Click on a state below to navigate to information about the presidential election in that jurisdiction.
See also
- Presidential candidates, 2020
- Democratic presidential nomination, 2020
- Republican presidential nomination, 2020
- Presidential election by state, 2020
Footnotes
- ↑ Republican caucuses were held on March 10, 2020, with Donald Trump as the only candidate on the ballot. Delegates to the Republican National Convention were originally scheduled to be elected on March 28, 2020, at the state convention. However, the convention was canceled. Delegates will be chosen by mail-in ballot.
- ↑ The New York Times, "Live Primary Election Results: Michigan, Washington and More," March 11, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Grand Forks Herald, "North Dakota hopes to attract candidates before March 10 firehouse caucus," February 8, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 North Dakota Republican Party, "Platform," accessed February 16, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 North Dakota GOP, "2020 NDGOP State Convention," accessed March 30, 2020
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "2020 DNC in Milwaukee pushed back to week of August 17 in response to coronavirus pandemic," April 2, 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "Milwaukee Picked as Site of 2020 Democratic National Convention," March 11, 2019
- ↑ Talking Points Memo, "Bernie Sanders Ends 2020 Bid, Making Biden Presumptive Dem Nominee," April 8, 2020
- ↑ AP, "Biden formally clinches Democratic presidential nomination," June 5, 2020
- ↑ CNBC, "Joe Biden picks Sen. Kamala Harris to be his vice presidential running mate, making her the first black woman on a major ticket," August 11, 2020
- ↑ Charlotte Observer, "Here’s when the 2020 Republican National Convention will be in Charlotte," October 1, 2018
- ↑ NPR, "When Has A President Been Denied His Party's Nomination?" July 22, 2009
- ↑ This average includes states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, which did not participate in all 30 presidential elections between 1900 and 2016. It does not include Washington, D.C., which cast votes for president for the first time in 1964, or Alaska and Hawaii, which cast votes for president for the first time in 1960.
- ↑ This number refers to the number of times that the state voted for the winning presidential candidate between 2000 and 2016.
- ↑ The order in which North Dakota and South Dakota entered the union is disputed. Both states were granted statehood by President Benjamin Harrison on Nov. 2, 1889. Contemporary accounts and historians say that Harrison shuffled the papers on his desk and exposed only the signature lines of the statehood papers so no one, Harrison included, knew which paper was signed first.
- ↑ Bismarck Tribune, "At 125 years of Dakotas statehood, rivalry remains," November 2, 2014
