Summary
North Dakota’s 2026 federal elections will feature a single at-large U.S. House race, the state’s only federal contest. The state remains among the most reliably Republican in the nation — no Democrat has won statewide since Heidi Heitkamp’s Senate victory in 2012 — and the at-large House seat is not considered competitive by national forecasters. However, the Democratic-NPL Party has consolidated behind a strong, organized candidate in Trygve Hammer, making the primary outcome largely settled. The central story for Democrats is less about a contested primary and more about whether an energized base, anti-tariff sentiment among farmers, and national backlash politics can move a deeply red state in an unusually volatile environment.
Most Competitive Races
ND At-Large (U.S. House)
North Dakota has a single at-large congressional district covering the entire state. The seat is held by Republican Julie Fedorchak, who won with nearly 70% of the vote in 2024. The district carries a Cook PVI of approximately R+20, making it a structural long-shot for Democrats. Nonetheless, the Dem-NPL convention in March 2026 demonstrated significant party energy and organizational strength, drawing a large crowd to Bismarck State College. Democrats have pointed to farm-country anxiety over Trump-era tariffs and proposed healthcare cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as potential wedge issues that could improve their margin, if not flip the seat outright. The race is rated Safe Republican by all major forecasters.
Most Competitive Candidates
Trygve Hammer (ND At-Large)
Hammer is the Dem-NPL endorsed candidate for the at-large U.S. House seat and the overwhelming favorite in the June 9 Democratic primary. A Naval Academy graduate and former Marine helicopter pilot who served a combat deployment in Iraq, Hammer has also worked in North Dakota’s oil industry and as a public school science teacher in Minot. He received the party’s endorsement by a commanding margin of 360 convention votes to 64 for Vern Thompson and 25 for Helene Neville. His campaign focuses on opposition to tariffs, defense of healthcare programs threatened by federal spending cuts, and criticism of incumbent Fedorchak for avoiding public town halls. He draws support from the full breadth of the Dem-NPL coalition, including veterans, agricultural communities concerned about trade policy, organized labor, and progressive activists. Hammer previously ran against Fedorchak in 2024, earning about 30% of the vote.
Vern Thompson (ND At-Large)
Thompson is a former state legislator and independent trucker who ran in the Democratic primary to give voice to rural and agricultural concerns. He served in the North Dakota House from 1989 to 1990 and in the Senate from 1997 to 2000, representing the Devils Lake/Minnewaukan area. Thompson drew on his personal history as a farmer during the 1980s farm crisis to argue for stronger protections against Trump tariff policies he views as devastating to North Dakota agriculture. He received 64 convention votes and did not secure the party endorsement, but will remain on the June primary ballot. His support base consists of rural populists, independent-minded voters, and farmers skeptical of both parties.
Helene Neville (ND At-Large)
Neville entered the Democratic primary race for the at-large seat and competed for the party convention endorsement, receiving 25 delegate votes. She did not secure the endorsement and has a limited public profile compared to Hammer or Thompson. Her candidacy represents the broader desire within the Dem-NPL base to field as many voices as possible in the primary and build grassroots capacity for future cycles.
State Political Context
North Dakota has not elected a Democrat to federal office since Heitkamp’s narrow 2012 Senate win. The state has experienced over three decades of Republican trifecta control at the state level. The Democratic-NPL Party — the state’s fusion of the Democratic Party with the progressive Nonpartisan League tradition — operates as a minority party with limited resources but retains pockets of organizational strength in Fargo, Grand Forks, and Bismarck. Former Sen. Heitkamp spoke at the March 2026 convention and challenged attendees to hold Republican officeholders accountable, lending credibility and visibility to the party’s 2026 effort. Primary date: June 9, 2026. General election: November 3, 2026.