Voters approve North Dakota governor’s first appointees, reelect all Republican incumbents

North Dakota voters on Tuesday approved Gov. Kelly Armstrong’s first appointments to statewide offices, giving green lights to Public Service Commissioner Jill Kringstad and State Superintendent Levi Bachmeier to keep serving two more years.

Voters also reelected all other Republican state officeholders. No Democrat has won a statewide election in North Dakota since Heidi Heitkamp’s 2012 U.S. Senate victory.

Armstrong appointed Kringstad to the regulatory panel in January 2025 to fill the vacancy left by Julie Fedorchak when she resigned to take North Dakota’s single seat in the U.S. House. Kringstad was previously the PSC’s director of business operations.

North Dakota sends Fedorchak back to DC

She defeated Democrat Scot Kelsh, a former state lawmaker, by a margin of about 62% to 38%, according to complete but unofficial results.

Kringstad said she enjoyed the experience of campaigning and traveling the state to hear the concerns of North Dakotans.

“I’m just really grateful to the people of North Dakota for the trust they have put in me,” said Kringstad, who will need to run for a full six-year term in 2028 to keep the seat.

Armstrong appointed Bachmeier in October 2025 to replace Kirsten Baesler, who resigned her post as North Dakota’s top K-12 schools official to join the U.S. Department of Education. Bachmeier was previously the business manager for West Fargo Public Schools.

He defeated longtime educator Tracy Foss by a margin of about 63% to 37%.

The position is nonpartisan, but Bachmeier is a Republican and Foss received support from the Democratic-NPL Party. Bachmeier will have to run for a full four-year term in 2028 to keep serving.

Voters handily reelected statewide Republican officeholders.

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Attorney General Drew Wrigley won a rematch against Democrat Tim Lamb, a Grand Forks attorney who challenged him in 2022 and also ran unsuccessfully for state auditor in 2024.

Secretary of State Michael Howe defeated Democratic state Sen. Ryan Braunberger of Fargo for another four years as the state’s top election official. Braunberger is in the middle of his four-year Senate term and will serve in the 2027 Legislature.

Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring was reelected over Democrat Vern Thompson, a former lawmaker.

Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus defeated Democrat Mark Nelson, a retired Rugby-area farmer, to continue serving. 

Public Service Commissioner Sheri Haugen-Hoffart won a full six-year term on the PSC against Democrat John Pederson, a Mayville State professor.

Supreme Court Justice Jerod Tufte was reelected to a 10-year term over challenger Ariston Johnson, a Watford City attorney.

Justice Douglas Bahr, whom former Gov. Doug Burgum appointed in 2023, won an eight-year term on the court. He ran unopposed. 

North Dakotans cast more than 239,000 ballots during the 2026 general election, a 39.8% turnout, the lowest voter turnout for a general election in 50 years, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. The previous low was 43% set in 2022.

“I am incredibly grateful for the 3,000 poll workers who stepped forward to make democracy happen,” Howe in a statement. “While the voter turnout is disappointing, I am hopeful more North Dakotans will become civically engaged and vote in future elections.”

Reach North Dakota Monitor reporter Jack Dura at [email protected].