North Dakota voters shaped the state legislature, handing several legislative seats to opposing parties across multiple districts.
The election results shifted the balance of power in the legislature as several incumbents fell to challengers and multiple seats flipped parties. In House District 4A, Democratic challenger Lisa Finley-DeVille unseated incumbent Terry Burton Jones, capturing 69.02 percent of the vote compared to Jones’s 30.7 percent. House District 4B also transitioned, with Clayton Fegley securing 98.71 percent of the vote in an unopposed contest.
Further shifts rippled through House District 9, where party control split. Democrat Jayme Davis secured House 9A with 68.61 percent of the vote over Brenda Malo. Meanwhile, Republican Donna Henderson captured House 9B with 56.54 percent of the vote, defeating incumbent Marvin Nelson, who finished with 37.61 percent.
In the Senate races, similar adjustments unfolded across the state. Senate District 9 saw Republican Kent Weston flip the seat by defeating incumbent Democrat Richard Marcellais, pulling in 53.7 percent of the vote to Marcellais’s 46.1 percent. Senate District 35 also changed hands as Republican Sean Cleary defeated incumbent Tracy Potter, securing 60 percent of the vote against Potter’s 39.6 percent. In Senate District 43, Jeff Barta captured 53 percent of the vote to unseat the incumbent Democratic representation, while JoNell Bakke finished with 46.9 percent.
Additional tight races determined the balance of power in various districts. In House District 25, Cynthia Schreiber-Beck held a Republican position with 41.8 percent of the vote, outpacing Alisa Mitskog’s 29.4 percent and Kathy Skroch’s 28.5 percent, resulting in an incumbent defeat within the district. House District 27 saw Greg Stemen lead a crowded field with 29 percent, followed by Josh Christy at 28.1 percent, Ruth Buffalo at 24.1 percent, and Thomas Casler at 18.7 percent, completing another legislative flip.
House District 43 experienced a four-way contest where Eric Murphy took 25.9 percent of the vote, followed closely by Zac Ista and Mary Adams at 25.3 percent each, and Ethan Harsell at 23.3 percent, resulting in a Democratic incumbent defeat.
Meanwhile, numerous races proceeded without major disruption or featured lopsided margins. Senate District 1’s Brad Bekkedahl secured 98.7 percent of the vote uncontested, and Senate District 13’s Judy Lee captured 96.4 percent. In Senate District 23, Todd Beard claimed 99 percent of the vote in an unopposed victory that also marked a party pickup.
