Democrats Win Three North Dakota Legislative Seats
Democratic-NPL candidates flipped three seats in Grand Forks-area races, though Republicans keep their supermajority in the Legislature.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Legislative Policy
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Democratic-NPL candidates netted three seats in local legislative races in the November 2026 election, sweeping all three District 43 seats in Grand Forks. Republicans retained a supermajority in the North Dakota Legislature.
Why it matters
The gains give Democrats and NPL members a larger presence in the state Legislature, though Republicans still hold a supermajority that controls the chamber's agenda. How the new members are received by the majority will shape their influence on policy in North Dakota.
Democratic-NPL candidates won three seats in local legislative races, including all three District 43 seats in Grand Forks. Republicans retain a supermajority in the North Dakota Legislature after the election.
The players
Mary Adams
A former House member who currently sits on the Grand Forks School Board, Adams won the District 43 Senate seat by defeating incumbent Republican Jeff Barta.
The details
Democrats swept District 43, with Mary Adams defeating incumbent Republican Jeff Barta in the Senate race and Tyler York and Lukas Maughan defeating Republicans Mike Holmes and Jill Chandler for the House seats. In a special House election in District 42, Nicole Derenne defeated Republican Connie Osowski, and Chris Tiongson and Stacy Heidenreich won House seats in District 41 in Fargo.
Timeline
Nov. 3, 2026: Election Day, when Democratic-NPL candidates won the local legislative seats.
Dec. 1, 2026: Newly elected lawmakers are sworn in at a ceremony in Bismarck.
Jan. 5, 2027: The next legislative session begins.
Legislative Context
Republicans retain a supermajority in the North Dakota Legislature even after Democratic-NPL candidates won three local seats. The three-seat gain does not change the chamber's overall partisan balance.
Residents of District 41, 42 and 43 now have new state representatives who will take their seats when the Legislature convenes. The change in members affects which local voices are represented in the next session's debates.
The takeaway
Even with a shift of three seats, party control of the Legislature remains unchanged, so local voters' choices shape representation more than overall chamber direction. Watch how the newly seated members work with the majority when the session opens in January.
What happens next
The next legislative session begins Jan. 5, 2027, and the newly elected lawmakers will be sworn in Dec. 1, 2026 in Bismarck.
Further reading
For more on how the state's lawmaking body is structured, see Legislative Policy coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Grand Forks Herald.
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