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United States Senate election in North Dakota, 2022
2024 →
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|
| U.S. Senate, North Dakota |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: April 11, 2022 |
| Primary: June 14, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: Open between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.; close between 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Voting in North Dakota |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • At-large North Dakota elections, 2022 U.S. Congress elections, 2022 U.S. Senate elections, 2022 U.S. House elections, 2022 |
Voters in North Dakota elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 14, 2022. The filing deadline was April 11, 2022.
The election filled the Class III Senate seat held by John Hoeven (R), who first took office in 2011. The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate in 2022. Democrats retained their majority and gained one net seat, with the Senate's post-election partisan balance at 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans.
Thirty-five of 100 seats were up for election, including one special election.[1] At the time of the election, Democrats had an effective majority, with the chamber split 50-50 and Vice President Kamala Harris (D) having the tie-breaking vote.[2] Of the seats up for election in 2022, Democrats held 14 and Republicans held 21.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- United States Senate election in North Dakota, 2022 (June 14 Republican primary)
- United States Senate election in North Dakota, 2022 (June 14 Democratic primary)
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. Senate North Dakota
Incumbent John Hoeven defeated Katrina Christiansen and Rick Becker in the general election for U.S. Senate North Dakota on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Hoeven (R) | 56.4 | 135,474 |
 | Katrina Christiansen (D)  | 25.0 | 59,995 | |
 | Rick Becker (Independent) | 18.5 | 44,406 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 265 | ||
| Total votes: 240,140 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Dakota
Katrina Christiansen defeated Michael Steele in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Dakota on June 14, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Katrina Christiansen | 76.8 | 17,187 |
 | Michael Steele | 23.1 | 5,174 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 24 | ||
| Total votes: 22,385 | |||
| = 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 U.S. Senate North Dakota
Incumbent John Hoeven defeated Riley Kuntz in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate North Dakota on June 14, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Hoeven | 77.8 | 59,529 |
 | Riley Kuntz | 21.4 | 16,400 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 557 | ||
| Total votes: 76,486 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Rick Becker (R)
Voting information
- See also: Voting in North Dakota
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
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.
| Collapse all
Health Care-A responsive, compotent, accessible, and affordable health care structure needs to be created for rural and urban communities that allows for basic, advanced health care, mental health care and addiction services.
Economic Opportunity-There needs to be investment in innovation that keeps the processing of agricultural products in the state to keep the earnings in the state. Growing the processing industry with low utility designs creates jobs, low cost of goods, and keeps revenue and earnings in the state.
We need representation that will work to connect people to opportunity. We need representation that will deliver investment to our public schools. We need representation that will deliver resources to the state, not transfer wealth out of state. We need a senator who can separate the boondoggles from the real opportunities. We need a senator who will work to solve problems we care and worry about, not prop up special interests.
We need to cap prescription drug prices. Full stop. No one should worry about getting off medication cutting pills in half or skipping doses because it is too much for the monthly budget.
We need to provide resources to stop learning loss in the classroom and improve teacher retention. We need to provide resources to improve mental, social and behavioral health outcomes in our schools and communities.
We need to expand the success of the state mill by increasing value added processing capacity in the state. Not give tax credits to the largest processors.
We need a senator who sees the value of investing in people, in each other and our future and actively works to make it happen.
Energy and Natural Resources
Health, Education, Labor and PensionThe lawyer says, “I will set up a trust to pay for their kids to go to college.”
The doctor says, “Let me ask my ophthalmologist colleagues if anything can be done for them.”
And the engineer says, “Why can’t they play at night?”
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[3] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[4] Click here to view the reporting schedule for candidates for U.S. Congress in 2022.
| U.S. Congress campaign reporting schedule, 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Close of books | Filing deadline |
| Year-end 2021 | 12/31/2021 | 1/31/2022 |
| April quarterly | 3/31/2022 | 4/15/2022 |
| July quarterly | 6/30/2022 | 7/15/2022 |
| October quarterly | 9/30/2022 | 10/15/2022 |
| Pre-general | 10/19/2022 | 10/27/2022 |
| Post-general | 11/28/2022 | 12/08/2022 |
| Year-end 2022 | 12/31/2022 | 1/31/2023 |
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hoeven | Republican Party | $4,438,837 | $5,766,240 | $520,563 | As of December 31, 2022 |
| Katrina Christiansen | Democratic Party | $112,996 | $109,735 | $3,261 | As of December 31, 2022 |
| Michael Steele | Democratic Party | $2,185 | $2,572 | $0 | As of June 30, 2022 |
| Riley Kuntz | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Rick Becker | Independent | $276,195 | $276,195 | $0 | As of December 31, 2022 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2022. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
|||||
General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[5]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[6][7][8]
| Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in North Dakota, 2022 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 8, 2022 | November 1, 2022 | October 25, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in North Dakota in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in North Dakota, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| North Dakota | U.S. Senate | Ballot-qualified party | 300 | N/A | 4/11/2022 | Source |
| North Dakota | U.S. Senate | Unaffiliated | 1,000 | N/A | 9/6/2022 | Source |
Election history
2018
General election
General election for U.S. Senate North Dakota
Kevin Cramer defeated incumbent Heidi Heitkamp in the general election for U.S. Senate North Dakota on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kevin Cramer (R) | 55.1 | 179,720 |
 | Heidi Heitkamp (D) | 44.3 | 144,376 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 2,042 | ||
| Total votes: 326,138 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Dakota
Incumbent Heidi Heitkamp advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Dakota on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Heidi Heitkamp | 100.0 | 36,729 |
| Total votes: 36,729 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate North Dakota
Kevin Cramer defeated Thomas O'Neill in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate North Dakota on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kevin Cramer | 87.9 | 61,529 |
| Thomas O'Neill | 12.1 | 8,509 | ||
| Total votes: 70,038 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Gary Emineth (R)
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated North Dakota's U.S. Senate race as safely Republican. Incumbent John Hoeven (R) defeated Eliot Glassheim (D), Robert Marquette (L), and James Germalic (I) in the general election on November 8, 2016. No candidate faced a primary opponent in June.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  John Hoeven Incumbent |
78.5% | 268,788 | |
| Democratic | Eliot Glassheim | 17% | 58,116 | |
| Libertarian | Robert Marquette | 3.1% | 10,556 | |
| Independent | James Germalic | 1.4% | 4,675 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.1% | 366 | |
| Total Votes | 342,501 | |||
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
Note: No candidate faced a primary opponent.
2012
On November 6, 2012, Heidi Heitkamp (D) won election to the United States Senate. She defeated Rick Berg (R) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Heidi Heitkamp |
50.5% | 161,337 | |
| Republican | Rick Berg | 49.5% | 158,401 | |
| Total Votes | 319,738 | |||
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Heidi Heitkamp |
99.8% | 57,246 | ||
| Write-in votes | 0.2% | 87 | ||
| Total Votes | 57,333 | |||
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Rick Berg |
66.4% | 67,860 |
| Duane Sand | 33.5% | 34,213 |
| 0.1% | 111 | |
| Total Votes | 102,184 | |
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Presidential elections
Cook PVI by congressional district
| Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for North Dakota, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Incumbent | Party | PVI |
| North Dakota's At-Large | Kelly Armstrong |  Republican |
R+20 |
2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines
| 2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, North Dakota[10] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Joe Biden 
|
Donald Trump 
| ||
| North Dakota's At-Large | 31.9% | 65.5% | ||
2012-2020
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2020 presidential election, 95.7% of North Dakotans lived in one of the state's 47 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 2.2% lived in one of four Trending Republican counties. Overall, North Dakota was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in North Dakota following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| North Dakota county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 47 | 95.7% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 4 | 2.2% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 2 | 2.1% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 2 | 2.1% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 51 | 97.9% | |||||
Historical voting trends
North Dakota presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 5 Democratic wins
- 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Statewide elections
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in North Dakota.
| U.S. Senate election results in North Dakota | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2018 | 55.5% |
44.5%
|
| 2016 | 78.4% |
17.0%
|
| 2012 | 50.2% |
49.3%
|
| 2010 | 76.2% |
22.2%
|
| 2006 | 66.8% |
29.5%
|
| Average | 65.4 | 32.5 |
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of North Dakota
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in North Dakota.
| Gubernatorial election results in North Dakota | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2020 | 65.8% |
25.4%
|
| 2016 | 76.5% |
19.4%
|
| 2012 | 63.1% |
34.3%
|
| 2008 | 74.4% |
23.5%
|
| 2004 | 71.3% |
27.4%
|
| Average | 70.2 | 26.0 |
State partisanship
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of North Dakota's congressional delegation as of November 2022.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from North Dakota, November 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 3 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in North Dakota's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.
| State executive officials in North Dakota, November 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Office | Officeholder |
| Governor | Doug Burgum
|
| Lieutenant Governor | Brent Sanford
|
| Secretary of State | Al Jaeger
|
| Attorney General | Drew Wrigley
|
State legislature
The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly as of November 2022.
North Dakota State Senate
| Party | As of November 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 7 | |
| Republican Party | 40 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | |
North Dakota House of Representatives
| Party | As of November 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 14 | |
| Republican Party | 80 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 94 | |
Trifecta control
As of November 2022, North Dakota was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.
North Dakota Party Control: 1992-2022
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-eight 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Demographics
The table below details demographic data in North Dakota and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.
| Demographic Data for North Dakota | ||
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | United States | |
| Population | 672,591 | 308,745,538 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 68,995 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 86.6% | 72.5% |
| Black/African American | 2.9% | 12.7% |
| Asian | 1.5% | 5.5% |
| Native American | 5.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other (single race) | 1.1% | 4.9% |
| Multiple | 2.6% | 3.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 3.7% | 18% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 92.6% | 88% |
| College graduation rate | 30% | 32.1% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $64,894 | $62,843 |
| Persons below poverty level | 10.7% | 13.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **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. | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The special Senate election in California was for the same seat up for regular election. There were, then, 36 total Senate elections for 35 total seats.
- ↑ Two independents who caucus with Democrats are included with Democrats in the 50-50 split count.
- ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Contest/Candidate List," accessed April 12, 2016
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022
