ND Legislative Assembly Updates: June 2026 Primary Results and What This Means for November
North Dakota’s June 9 primary is behind us, and the results give us an early look of how the legislative assembly might change heading into the 2027 session.
In our last post, we laid out everything you needed to know ahead of the Primary Elections. Now, it’s time to see how it has played out.
| NOTE: All information is current as of June 15. We’ve included unofficial results below and will be making updates as final election results become available. Source: North Dakota Secretary of State – Election Results.
Key Takeaways
2 Senate Primary winners – who are new to the Senate - will run unopposed in November – Former Rep. Jayme Davis (D) and Kristin Kenner (R) appear to have won their primary races, defeating Sens. Marcellais (D) and Weston (R), respectively. There are no opponents from the other party in their districts.
3 Senate Primary winners – who are incumbents - will run in November – 3 incumbent Senators won their primary races and will run in November. They are Sens. Axtman (R), Lee (R), and Schaible (R).
12 House Primaries were contested (all Republican) – With 16 Incumbents in races. 5 incumbent Representatives appear to have lost, while 11 look to have won their primaries and will run in November.
ND Senate Results (5)
There were 5 contested primaries occurring in the ND Senate – 1 Democratic-NPL and 4 Republican. In all five of these races, the incumbent Senator was up against primary challengers.
2 Incumbent Senators lost their primaries to challengers – Sens. Marcellais (D) and Weston (R). In both of these races, there is no opponent from the other party, so the primary winner will be running unopposed in November.
District 9 (Pt. Benson, Pt. Eddy, Pt. Nelson, Pt. Pierce, Pt. Ramsey, Rolette)
Former Rep. Jayme Davis (D) has defeated incumbent Sen. Marcellais (D) in the District 9 Democratic-NPL primary.
Davis has been a House member since 2023. She vacated her District 9 seat in the House to run for Senate. She is the Co-Chair of the North Dakota Future Caucus, alongside Dawson Holle.
With no Republican opponents on the ballot for the November general election, she is likely to represent District 9 in the ND Senate beginning January 2027.
District 15 (Pt. Cavalier, Pt. Ramsey, Towner)
Challenger Kristin Kenner (R) has likely narrowly defeated incumbent Sen. Weston (R) in the District 15 Republican primary.
Kenner is a retired dentist who practiced for 39 years in Devils Lake, North Dakota. Her husband, Corry Kenner (R), was running in the ND House District 15 Republican primary and finished with the second-most number of votes, for one the two House seat endorsements along with incumbent Rep. Kathy Frelich (R).
With no Democratic opponents on the ballot for the November general election, Kristin Kenner is likely to represent District 159 in the ND Senate beginning January 2027.
3 Incumbent Senators have likely won their primaries and will be running in the November general election.
District 7 (Pt. Burleigh)
Sen. Michelle Axtman (R) will face Kevin Horneman (D) in November.
District 13 (Pt. Cass)
Sen. Judy Lee (R) will face Landis Larson (D) in November.
District 31 (Grant, Pt. Hettinger, Pt. Morton, Sioux)
Sen. Donald Schaible (R) will face Kelly Spilman (D) in November.
ND House Results (12)
There were 12 contested primaries in the ND House and all were Republican primary races. Across these 12 contested primaries, 16 incumbents were on the ballot.
Five incumbents appear to have lost their primaries:
District 3 (Pt. Ward)
In the District 3 Republican Primary, Blaine DesLauriers (R) and Timothy Mihalick (R) were the top two vote-getters, defeating incumbent Rep. Jeff Hoverson (R), who had the third-most number of votes.
DesLauriers and Mihalick will likely be on the November ballot along with Tara Hiatt (D) and Natalie Mclaughlin (D).
District 15 (Pt. Cavalier, Pt. Ramsey, Towner)
In the District 15 Republican Primary, incumbent Rep. Kathy Frelich (R) and Corry Kenner (R) were the top two vote-getters. Incumbent Rep. Donna Henderson (R) had the least number of votes.
Rep. Frelich and Kenner will likely be on the November ballot along with Frances Drury (D).
District 33 (Pt. McLean, Pt. Mercer, Pt. Morton, Oliver)
In the District 33 Republican Primary, incumbent Rep. Anna S. Novak (R) and Mike Heger (R) were the top two vote-getters, defeating incumbent Rep. Bill Tveit (R), who had the third-most number of votes.
Rep. Novak and Heger will likely be on the November ballot along with Kimball Banks (D) and Stacie Kruckenberg (D).
District 42 (Pt. Grand Forks)
District 42 is one of two House districts holding special elections in 2026 to fill seats for unexpired terms. As the special election for this district is only for one seat, the single primary winner with the most votes will move on to the November general election rather than the top two vote-getters.
In the District 42 Republican Primary, Connie Osowski (R) was the top vote-getter, defeating incumbent Rep. Dustin McNally (R), who had the second-most number of votes.
Osowksi will likely face Nicole Derenne (D) in the November election.
District 43 (Pt. Grand Forks)
In the District 43 Republican Primary, Jill T Chandler (R) and Mike Holmes (R) were the top two vote-getters, defeating incumbent Rep. Eric J. Murphy (R), who had the least number of votes.
Chandler and Holmes will likely be on the November ballot along with Lukas Arthur Maughan (D) and Tyler York (D).
The remaining 11 incumbents look like they have won their primaries and will be on the November ballot:
District 13 (Pt. Cass)
District 15 (Pt. Cavalier, Pt. Ramsey, Towner)
District 23 (Pt. Williams)
District 25 (Richland, Pt. Sargent)
District 27 (Pt. Cass)
District 31 (Grant, Pt. Hettinger, Pt. Morton, Sioux)
District 33 (Pt. McLean, Pt. Mercer, Pt. Morton, Oliver)
District 39 (Adams, Billings, Bowman, Pt. Dunn, Golden Valley, Pt. Hettinger, Slope, Pt. Stark)
District 7 (Pt. Burleigh) was a fully open district, as both incumbents are not seeking re-election. The November race will likely be between:
The Bigger Picture: What Primary Results Mean for November Elections
New Faces = Opportunity for New Relationships
With 2 Senate incumbents and 5 House incumbents appearing to have lost their primaries and several incumbents not seeking re-election, the window to get ahead of the 2027 session is open right now — knowing who the incoming members are before they're sworn in means advocates and lobbyists can start building relationships today, well before session begins.Constituent Priorities Shape Primary Results
Primary results offer an early look at where North Dakota voters stand heading into the next legislative session. Two high-profile incumbent losses (Reps. Hoverson and Tveit) were among the legislature’s active sponsors of “culture war” legislation. For advocates, the primaries signal voter preferences on a variety of issues, and the incoming members will reflect that. Knowing who is coming into the legislative assembly, and why, is the first step to building effective legislative relationships ahead of January.
Stay Ahead with Roboro
If you want to stay ahead of legislative developments, bill movement, and member changes heading into the 2027 session, Roboro is built for exactly that.
Questions or data requests? Email us at hello@roboro.ai
Roboro AI provides legislative intelligence for advocacy professionals. All information is current as of June 15, 2026. Official election results will be updated as they become available.
