Sandberg Wins Full Term on District Court

Incumbent Judge Theodore Sandberg defeated challenger Sarah Kyte in the Northeast Central District Court general election across Grand Forks and Nelson counties.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections

Flat-color editorial illustration of a plain stone civic building silhouette on a horizon under a wide open sky. — Theodore Sandberg won a full term on the Northeast Central District Court bench, defeating challenger Sarah Kyte in the general election across Grand Forks and Nelson counties. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Theodore Sandberg won a full term on the Northeast Central District Court bench, defeating Sarah Kyte in the general election. Sandberg received 9,136 votes to Kyte's 7,191 across Grand Forks and Nelson counties.

Why it matters

The result confirms Sandberg's position on the Northeast Central District Court, a seat he first took through gubernatorial appointment. For North Dakota voters, it marks a completed election for a judicial post that shapes local court proceedings.

Sandberg won 9,136 votes to Kyte's 7,191 across the two counties, with Sandberg carrying nearly 56% in Grand Forks County and 53% in Nelson County. The extraction does not report turnout or whether the result faces any challenge.

The players

Theodore Sandberg

Sandberg is a Navy veteran and UND School of Law graduate who was appointed to the Northeast Central District Court by Gov. Doug Burgum and won a full term in the general election.

Sarah Kyte

Kyte was the challenger in the Northeast Central District Court general election and lost to Sandberg in Grand Forks and Nelson counties.

Doug Burgum

Burgum is the governor of North Dakota who appointed Sandberg to the district court bench in 2024.

The details

Voters in Grand Forks and Nelson counties cast ballots in the general election, and vote totals were tallied by county for the Northeast District. Sandberg, a Navy veteran who earned his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1997, now holds the seat on a full-term basis.

1997: Sandberg earns his Juris Doctor from the UND School of Law.
2024: Gov. Doug Burgum appoints Sandberg to the district court bench.
Nov. 3, 2026: General election in which Sandberg defeats Kyte.

Political Context

Sandberg's win follows North Dakota's practice of gubernatorial appointment to district court benches followed by voter retention in contested elections. Kyte's campaign offered voters a choice in a seat that had been filled by appointment rather than by an open vote.

Sandberg will serve a full term on the Northeast Central District Court, handling cases in Grand Forks and Nelson counties. Residents of those counties will see the same judge continue on the bench through the next term.

The takeaway

Judicial elections in North Dakota can turn on county-level vote splits, so the margins in each county matter as much as the overall total. Voters seeking to understand a judge's record can review the candidates' backgrounds before casting a ballot.