Incumbents Lead Fargo-Area Legislative Races
Early partial returns from Cass County show incumbents ahead in every Fargo-area legislative race on election night.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Legislative Policy
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Cass County voters cast ballots in North Dakota legislative races on November 3, 2026, with nine of the twelve Fargo-area contests including incumbents seeking reelection. As of 10:30 p.m., incumbents led in all races as votes were tallied on a trickling basis.
Why it matters
The early returns indicate that incumbent legislators held advantages across the Fargo area in the state's legislative contests. Final outcomes will determine the composition of the state Legislature for the coming term.
The figures are unofficial partial tallies from election night, with Mathern at 62% over O'Riley's 38% in District 11 and Davison at 62% over Dei's 38% in District 40. Final counts have not been reported, and the margins may change as remaining ballots are processed.
The players
Anastassiya Andrianova
Andrianova is a Democratic candidate who led the District 11 House race in Fargo on election night with 41% of partially tallied votes.
Tim Mathern
Mathern is a Democratic state senator who led the District 11 Senate race against Christine O'Riley with 62% of partial votes.
Judy Lee
Lee is a Republican who led the District 13 Senate race in the West Fargo area against Democrat Landis Larson.
Kyle Davison
Davison is a Republican who led the District 40 Senate race against Democrat Nyamal Dei with 62% of partially tallied votes.
Ron Sorvaag
Sorvaag is a Republican who led the Senate race against Democrat Dan Mitchell with 64% of votes.
The details
Nine of the twelve Fargo-area legislative races included incumbents, and incumbents led in all of them as of 10:30 p.m. Democrat Anastassiya Andrianova led the District 11 House race with 41% of partially tallied votes, while Republican Judy Lee led the District 13 Senate race over Democrat Landis Larson, 59% to 41%.
Timeline
November 3, 2026: Cass County voters cast ballots in North Dakota legislative races.
10:30 p.m. on November 3, 2026: Incumbents led as partial vote totals were reported.
Legislative Policy
Early incumbent leads in contested Fargo-area districts give a baseline against which final North Dakota legislative results can be measured. Whether incumbents keep their advantage will shape the state's policy direction in the next session.
Voters in the Fargo area have a say in which incumbents return to the state Legislature, which affects laws on taxes and local funding. The final results will determine who represents these districts for the coming term.
The takeaway
Election-night leads are preliminary, so readers should wait for final certified totals before drawing conclusions about the Fargo-area legislative races.
Further reading
Explore more on Legislative Policy coverage for North Dakota.
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