The North Dakota delegation

congressional officials …

North Dakota’s state congressional delegation is small and not really diverse.

The 2022-2023 class has two male members, one female member, and no minority representation. One of the two Senators is a lawyer; the other two delegation members come from the political and business worlds.

None are veterans, but one is a former Governor of North Dakota.

The average tenure for the delegation is only 2.1 terms, assuming everyone completes their service through the end of 2026. The longest-serving member has been in Congress since 2010.

When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)

If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.

• Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of push back on former and now current6President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are essential to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. None of the North Dakota delegation members voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results on the same evening as Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol.

• Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on critical matters because they control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.

• Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. In our opinion, being too doctrinaire or an obstructionist to good government in the 21st century does not get one a good grade from Thomas.

We also indicate what we believe might be the outcome of these Members’ 2024 elections today. Neither of the two United States Senators is up for re-election in 2026.

Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:

• Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. We do, however, reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.

• It’s A Race - means this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.

• Nudging - means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Stay tuned!

So, would you like to meet these fascinating North Dakotans? If so, keep reading on!

What is Thomas looking for?

There are no vulnerable races in North Dakota for Thomas to watch in 2026.

the senators

United States Senator john hoeven (r)

North Dakota’s senior senator John Hoeven has been of service to his state in the upper chamber for three terms. Before the Senate, Hoeven was a banker and then the state’s Governor from 2000 to 2010.  He was an Independent before 1996 and then from 1996 to 1998, he was a Democrat.  Now a Republican, Senator Hoeven serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee; the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; and the Indian Affairs Committee.  A graduate of Dartmouth with a Master’s degree from Northwestern University, Hoeven is married and the father of two.

Thomas Take: Not up for re-election in 2026

Thomas Rank: B

Website

United states senator kevin cramer (r)

North Dakota’s junior senator is serving his third term in the U.S. Senate.  A former at-large member of the U.S. House for North Dakota from 2013 to 2019 as well as former chair of the North Dakota Republican Party, Cramer served on the Armed Services Committee; the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; the Environment and Public Works Committee; and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.  He graduated from Concordia College and has a Master’s degree from the University of Mary.  Cramer is married and the father of five.

Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican

Thomas Rank: B

Website

the representatives