1889 to 1904 North Dakota began as a
Republican Party stronghold upon its foundation in 1889, with
John Miller elected as
governor. In 1890, however, an insurgency by the
Farmers Alliance created an Independent Party to challenge the "McKenzie Gang" that dominated the Republican Party. The state's Democratic Party at the time was very weak, so it fused with the Independent Party and the combination, known as the
Democratic-Independent Party, virtually took over the state's government overnight in the 1892 elections. Governor
Eli C. D. Shortridge,
Lieutenant Governor Elmer D. Wallace,
Attorney General William H. Standish,
Insurance Commissioner James Cudhie,
State Auditor Arthur W. Porter,
State Treasurer Knud J. Nomland, and
Superintendent of Public Instruction Laura J. Eisenhuth were all part of the
D-I party and were all elected in 1892. The only state office not taken over was the
Secretary of State, which remained in Republican control. The
D-I control was short-lived, however, as all of the mentioned officials were defeated by Republicans in 1894. In 1896, Republican
Frank A. Briggs was elected governor, followed by
Joseph M. Devine upon Briggs's death in office. Fellow Republican
Frederick B. Fancher was elected thereafter. While the Republican control over the next several years was criticized by
Progressives, the state made strides in industrial development. Large
lignite mines opened near
Beulah and
Wilton, and brickworks and flour mills soon opened throughout the state. The railroad industry also boomed in the state during this period, and many cities were formed along the tracks.
1905 to 1919 Despite the progress made by the Republican Party by 1905, political upheaval began to grow once again as Republican progressives united with Democrats to elect
John Burke as the state's first Democratic Party governor. While the Democratic Party did not gain control of any other statewide offices, Burke's election began a reform era. During the next decade, a series of other movements began to take place. In 1907, a new co-operative movement, the
American Society of Equity, came to the state and by 1913 become well established. A second movement, the
Socialist Party of North Dakota, gained momentum as many of the state's European immigrants by 1905 had come from more radical traditions. Both the cooperative and radical movements criticized the Republican Party and demanded change, seeking better conditions for farmers. These movements created the
Nonpartisan League in 1915. This political organization became one of the most significant new movements in the
United States. Led by
Arthur C. Townley, the NPL united progressives, reformers, and radicals behind a common platform that called for a massive reformation of the state's government. It resulted in the creation of government institutions to aid residents and to state ownership of banks, mills, and grain elevators. The NPL leaders in the 1916 primary election took control of the Republican Party. The
Republican/NPL Party dominated all state government by 1918, and enacted its reformation program beginning in 1919. Its administration, headed by Governor
Lynn J. Frazier, reorganized state services, expanded educational services, developed
health care and welfare agencies, and improved regulation of public services and corporations.
1920 to 1930 The anti-NPL movement gained strength after the end of
World War I. The movement charged that the NPL's leaders, many of whom were former
Socialists, had opposed American participation in World War I. The anti-NPL forces coalesced in late 1918 into the
Independent Voters Association. The IVA attacked the NPL on many fronts, which rapidly brought disunity within the NPL, splitting apart many of the cooperative and radical groups that had supported the league. Economic distress also became rampant by 1919, caused by the decline in grain prices in the recession that followed World War I. The largely rural state was still highly dependent on agriculture. In addition a drought in the western part of the state brought stress to families and diminished the NPL support. In 1920, the IVA took control of the
North Dakota House of Representatives, and in 1921 it forced a recall election that deposed Governor Frazier, Attorney General
William Lemke, and
Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor John N. Hagan. The recall effectively ended the NPL's reign, and significantly altered North Dakota government for years to come. The state-owned
Bank of North Dakota is a product of the NPL that continues to operate successfully in the 21st century. During the mid and late 1920s, a struggle between the NPL and the IVA ensued. The state's constitutional offices, including that of the governor, were held by changing parties. The decade ended with a fire that destroyed the
State Capitol building, adding to the state's financial burden on the eve of the Great Depression. The IVA gained control again of state politics.
1931 to 1960 During the early 1930s, state Government was dominated by the conservative IVA. By 1932, however, a revitalized NPL returned to the forefront and elected
William Langer as governor. While in office, Langer took bold actions, including a massive cut of state spending during the depths of the
Great Depression. He was believed to disregard the law. A federal investigation resulted in Langer's being removed from office in late 1934. Lieutenant Governor
Ole Olson finished his term. The state's Democratic Party made a comeback in the 1934 election when
Thomas H. Moodie was elected; however, the success for the party was short-lived when it was discovered that Moodie did not meet residency requirements and had to be disqualified.
Walter Welford succeeded Moodie, but was defeated in the 1936 election by an exonerated William Langer. The turbulence in the governor's office ended in 1938, when Democrat
John Moses was elected; he held the office for six years. By 1943, seeking a way to overturn the Democratic control, the IVA Republicans coalesced into the Republican Organizing Committee (ROC). They regained the governor's office by 1944, against the national popularity of Democratic candidates led by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The insurgency left a crippled Democratic Party struggling to re-organize. As the Republican ROC controlled state politics into the early 1950s, the Democratic Party and the NPL, the state's two liberal parties, merged into the
North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party by 1956. The Republican Party and the Democratic-NPL Party became the two main parties in the state, which has continued into the early 21st century.
1961 to present The
North Dakota Republican Party and the Democratic-NPL Party have dominated state politics since the 1950s. The Dem-NPL Party made a comeback by 1960, and held the governor's office for 20 years until Republican
Allen I. Olson was elected in 1980. The Democrats regained the office again from 1984 to 1992 with
George Sinner, but since 1992 Republicans have controlled the office. While the Democrats made some strides in trying to control the state's constitutional offices, such as attorney general and tax commissioner in the 1980s, in the early 21st century, all of the statewide offices are held by Republicans. The last Democrat to serve was
Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, who resigned; he was succeeded by Republican
Doug Goehring, appointed by Republican Governor
John Hoeven. Changes in demographics are beginning to influence the elections. A sizeable portion of North Dakota lands are held by federally recognized Native American tribes in reservations. Native Americans have become more active in electoral politics, and most vote with the
North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. In 2016, a record three candidates running for statewide office are Native American:
Chase Iron Eyes for US Congress,
Ruth Buffalo for Insurance Commissioner, and
Marlo Hunte-Beaubrun for the Public Service Commission, the agency that regulates oil pipelines. In August 2016, a federal court ruled that North Dakota's new voter ID law was too restrictive, reverting the state's voting rules to their 2013 revision for the following election. Under the nullified rules, the state would have disallowed use of federal tribal IDs that did not include street addresses, even though most Native Americans on reservations use post office boxes. The court found the state had created a discriminatory burden on Native American voters. ==Political institutions==