North Dakota Secretary of State election, 2018

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North Dakota Secretary of State
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election;
Election details
	Filing deadline: April 9, 2018
	Primary: June 12, 2018; General: November 6, 2018; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Al Jaeger (Republican)
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
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2018; Impact of term limits in 2018; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
North Dakota; executive elections
	Attorney general; Secretary of state; Agriculture commissioner; Tax commissioner; Public service commissioner

Elections in North Dakota, 2018

General election: Nov. 6
Voter registration deadline: N/A (no formal registration process)
Early voting: Sept. 27 - Nov. 5
Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 5

Online registration: N/A
Same-day registration: N/A
Voter ID: ID required
Poll times: Varies according to the size of the precinct

Incumbent Al Jaeger (R) ran for re-election as an independent in North Dakota's secretary of state race.^[1] He faced state Sen. Joshua Boschee (D). Jaegar originally announced that he would not seek re-election in 2018 for the first time in 26 years. His announcement followed the Republican state party deciding to endorse challenger Will Gardner over Jaeger.

However, Gardner dropped out of the race in May, two days after a news story was published detailing an incident in 2006 where Gardner was accused of and pleaded to disorderly conduct. According to Inforum, the charge included "intrusive" acts meant to adversely affect the "privacy of another person."^[2] Although Gardner dropped out after the filing deadline, his name still appeared on the primary ballot. He officially withdrew his candidacy following the primary election.^[3]

Following Gardner's withdrawal announcement, Jaegar filed as an independent because the Republican filing deadline had already passed.^[1]

For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for North Dakota Secretary of State

Incumbent Al Jaeger defeated Joshua A. Boschee and Michael Coachman in the general election for North Dakota Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Al Jaeger (Independent)	47.3	145,275
	Joshua A. Boschee (D)	39.2	120,475
	Michael Coachman (Independent)	13.2	40,590
	Other/Write-in votes	0.3	937

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 307,277 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Roland Riemers (L)
Will Gardner (R)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Joshua A. Boschee advanced from the Democratic primary for North Dakota Secretary of State on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joshua A. Boschee	100.0	33,039

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 33,039
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Will Gardner advanced from the Republican primary for North Dakota Secretary of State on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Will Gardner	100.0	54,563

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 54,563
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for North Dakota Secretary of State

Roland Riemers advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Dakota Secretary of State on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Roland Riemers	100.0	247

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 247
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Context of the 2018 election

Heading into the 2018 election, the sitting secretary of state was Al Jaeger (R), who was first elected in 1992 and was re-elected in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2010, and 2014.
At the time of the election, North Dakota was a Republican trifecta. It has held this status since the Republican Party gained a majority in the North Dakota State Senate in 1995. North Dakota was also a Republican triplex.
North Dakota was won by the Republican candidate in each of the five previous presidential elections. The widest margin of victory was Donald Trump's 35.7 percent margin in 2016 while the narrowest was John McCain's 8.7 percent margin in 2008.

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in North Dakota heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

Following the 2016 elections, Democrats and Republicans each held one U.S. Senate seat in North Dakota.
Republicans held the state's at-large U.S. House seat.

State executives

As of September 2018, Republicans held nine of 10 state executive positions, with the tenth held by a nonpartisan official.
The governor of North Dakota was Republican Doug Burgum. Burgum won election in 2016.

State legislature

Republicans controlled both chambers of the North Dakota State Legislature. They had a 80-13 majority in the state House and a 38-9 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

North Dakota was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party held the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

2018 elections

See also: North Dakota elections, 2018

North Dakota held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

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.

As of July 2016, North Dakota's three largest cities were Fargo (pop. est. 120,000), Bismarck (pop. est. 73,000), and Grand Forks (pop. est. 57,000).^[4]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in North Dakota from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the North Dakota Secretary of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in North Dakota every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), North Dakota 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Donald Trump	63.0%	Hillary Clinton	27.2%	35.8%
2012	Mitt Romney	58.3%	Barack Obama	38.7%	19.6%
2008	John McCain	53.3%	Barack Obama	44.6%	8.7%
2004	George W. Bush	62.9%	John Kerry	35.5%	27.4%
2000	George W. Bush	60.7%	Al Gore	33.1%	27.6%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in North Dakota from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), North Dakota 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	John Hoeven	78.5%	Eliot Glassheim	17.0%	61.5%
2012	Heidi Heitkamp	50.2%	Rick Berg	49.3%	0.9%
2010	John Hoeven	76.1%	Tracy Potter	22.2%	53.9%
2006	Kent Conrad	68.8%	Dwight Grotberg	29.5%	39.3%
2004	Byron Dorgan	68.3%	Mike Liffrig	31.7%	36.6%
2000	Kent Conrad	61.4%	Duane Sand	38.6%	22.8%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in North Dakota.

Election results (Governor), North Dakota 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Doug Burgum	76.5%	Marvin Nelson	19.4%	57.1%
2012	Jack Dalrymple	63.1%	Ryan Taylor	34.3%	28.8%
2008	John Hoeven	74.4%	Tim Mathern	23.5%	50.9%
2004	John Hoeven	71.3%	Joe Satrom	27.4%	43.9%
2000	John Hoeven	55.0%	Heidi Heitkamp	45.0%	10.0%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, North Dakota 2000-2016
Year	Republicans	Republicans (%)	Democrats	Democrats (%)	Balance of power
2016	1	100.0%	0	0.0%	R+1
2014	1	100.0%	0	0.0%	R+1
2012	1	100.0%	0	0.0%	R+1
2010	1	100.0%	0	0.0%	R+1
2008	0	0.0%	1	100.0%	D+1
2006	0	0.0%	1	100.0%	D+1
2004	0	0.0%	1	100.0%	D+1
2002	0	0.0%	1	100.0%	D+1
2000	0	0.0%	1	100.0%	D+1

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

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

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Four of 53 North Dakota counties—7.5 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County	Trump margin of victory in 2016	Obama margin of victory in 2012	Obama margin of victory in 2008
Benson County, North Dakota	4.33%	17.01%	33.53%
Ransom County, North Dakota	15.77%	13.77%	15.33%
Sargent County, North Dakota	19.73%	9.77%	17.49%
Steele County, North Dakota	17.72%	1.92%	20.35%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won North Dakota with 63 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 27.2 percent. In presidential elections between 1892 and 2016, North Dakota voted Republican 81.25 percent of the time and Democratic 15.6 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, North Dakota voted Republican all five times.^[5]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in North Dakota. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.^[6]^[7]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won eight out of 47 state House districts in North Dakota with an average margin of victory of 13.9 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won four out of 47 state House districts in North Dakota with an average margin of victory of 10.7 points.

In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 39 out of 47 state House districts in North Dakota with an average margin of victory of 25.1 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 43 out of 47 state House districts in North Dakota with an average margin of victory of 38.9 points. Trump won three districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

2016 presidential results by state House district
District	Obama	Romney	2012 Margin	Clinton	Trump	2016 Margin	Party Control
1	25.25%	72.44%	R+47.2	15.70%	77.60%	R+61.9	R
2	23.50%	74.04%	R+50.5	12.81%	81.65%	R+68.8	R
3	34.53%	62.62%	R+28.1	20.28%	69.79%	R+49.5	R
4	44.65%	53.30%	R+8.7	31.23%	62.19%	R+31	R
5	35.04%	62.99%	R+27.9	25.32%	65.85%	R+40.5	R
6	33.60%	64.02%	R+30.4	19.03%	73.86%	R+54.8	R
7	28.93%	68.80%	R+39.9	18.95%	74.05%	R+55.1	R
8	28.39%	69.14%	R+40.7	16.17%	78.39%	R+62.2	R
9	73.98%	24.10%	D+49.9	57.16%	33.14%	D+24	D
10	40.63%	56.80%	R+16.2	23.79%	68.63%	R+44.8	R
11	54.52%	42.92%	D+11.6	47.09%	42.67%	D+4.4	D
12	40.44%	56.89%	R+16.5	28.16%	63.38%	R+35.2	R
13	45.20%	52.76%	R+7.6	36.60%	54.96%	R+18.4	R
14	30.67%	67.01%	R+36.3	19.04%	74.40%	R+55.4	R
15	43.56%	53.45%	R+9.9	28.47%	62.14%	R+33.7	R
16	50.78%	45.95%	D+4.8	40.22%	49.41%	R+9.2	R
17	43.28%	54.92%	R+11.6	36.93%	56.05%	R+19.1	R
18	55.25%	41.99%	D+13.3	39.68%	50.13%	R+10.4	D
19	38.30%	59.10%	R+20.8	23.98%	68.23%	R+44.3	R
20	43.84%	53.94%	R+10.1	28.99%	61.73%	R+32.7	D
21	58.10%	37.73%	D+20.4	49.24%	38.72%	D+10.5	D
22	39.93%	57.89%	R+18	30.35%	60.24%	R+29.9	R
23	48.91%	48.94%	R+0	34.28%	57.80%	R+23.5	R
24	45.51%	52.18%	R+6.7	30.90%	59.19%	R+28.3	R
25	41.58%	56.58%	R+15	27.20%	64.26%	R+37.1	D
26	47.28%	50.58%	R+3.3	30.77%	59.94%	R+29.2	R
27	43.92%	53.66%	R+9.7	38.23%	51.62%	R+13.4	R
28	25.69%	71.88%	R+46.2	14.18%	80.31%	R+66.1	R
29	34.32%	63.27%	R+28.9	20.98%	72.76%	R+51.8	R
30	34.36%	63.38%	R+29	23.14%	69.35%	R+46.2	R
31	37.63%	60.06%	R+22.4	24.35%	68.30%	R+44	R
32	37.65%	59.45%	R+21.8	26.56%	64.60%	R+38	R
33	26.89%	70.44%	R+43.6	13.37%	81.32%	R+68	R
34	36.69%	60.28%	R+23.6	23.55%	67.65%	R+44.1	R
35	37.72%	59.56%	R+21.8	29.88%	60.59%	R+30.7	R
36	21.01%	77.00%	R+56	11.33%	83.81%	R+72.5	R
37	26.51%	71.55%	R+45	16.67%	77.64%	R+61	R
38	30.15%	67.72%	R+37.6	19.59%	72.28%	R+52.7	R
39	19.92%	78.02%	R+58.1	11.09%	83.49%	R+72.4	R
40	35.42%	61.14%	R+25.7	25.35%	63.05%	R+37.7	R
41	42.55%	55.38%	R+12.8	39.53%	51.32%	R+11.8	R
42	49.85%	46.46%	D+3.4	39.58%	49.50%	R+9.9	R
43	49.24%	48.50%	D+0.7	41.62%	50.35%	R+8.7	R
44	52.26%	44.96%	D+7.3	46.38%	42.62%	D+3.8	D
45	44.75%	52.72%	R+8	35.95%	54.29%	R+18.3	R
46	45.62%	52.35%	R+6.7	41.96%	49.55%	R+7.6	R
47	30.74%	67.39%	R+36.7	25.59%	67.63%	R+42	R
Total	38.92%	58.66%	R+19.7	27.74%	64.15%	R+36.4	-
Source: Daily Kos

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms North Dakota secretary of state election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

North Dakota Secretary of State election, 2018 - Google News

External links

Suggest a link

North Dakota secretary of state official website

Footnotes

[ind-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Bismarck Tribune, "Incumbent to run independent campaign for Secretary of State," May 21, 2018

[2] Inforum, "ND secretary of state candidate drops out, raising questions about GOP's next steps," May 21, 2018

[bis-3] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bis

[4] North Dakota Demographics by Cubit, "North Dakota Cities by Population," accessed September 7, 2018

[5] 270towin.com, "North Dakota," accessed June 29, 2017

[6] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013

[7] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017

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