North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party
North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League | |
---|---|
Nonpartisan League) | |
Headquarters | Kennedy Center 1902 East Divide Ave Bismarck, ND 58501 46°49′25″N 100°45′45″W / 46.82362°N 100.76246°W |
Ideology | Progressivism Modern liberalism |
National affiliation | Democratic Party |
Colors | Blue |
North Dakota Senate | 4 / 47 [1] |
North Dakota House of Representatives | 12 / 94 [2] |
Website | |
www | |
The North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party (abbreviated Democratic-NPL or simply D-NPL) is the North Dakota affiliate of the national Democratic Party. It was formed as the outcome of a merger of two parties; the state previously had a three-party political system. It is one of only two state Democratic Party affiliates to have a different name from the central party, the other being the neighboring Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party. The party currently has very weak electoral power in the state, controlling none of North Dakota's statewide or federal elected offices.
History
The North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party has roots in the Progressive Era of American history. At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, progressives – including lawyers, merchants, editors, and professors – joined both the Republican Party, which had strong control of state politics, as well as the state Democratic Party, the progressive faction of which called itself "the party of the laborer and the farmer."[3] Although they did not alter the control of the Republican Party during this era, progressives found support in the Norwegian-settled state, especially in the east.[3] By 1906, progressive sympathies were growing in opposition to what most saw as complete control of state politics by the railway companies.[3] The initial organization and calls for reform laid a foundation that would soon grow into a statewide socialist workers' movement that eventually spread throughout the Midwest.
1906 through 1915
The prewar decade was marked by a series of progressive successes, starting with progressive Democrat
North Dakota again demonstrated its progressive sympathies in 1912, when the state held the first United States
Rise of the Non-Partisan League
When Arthur C. Townley came to Bismarck, North Dakota, in 1915, he saw strife between a conservative legislature and farmers' interest groups. With his background in organizing farmers for the Socialist Party (Socialist activity had begun in North Dakota in 1900 when Arthur Basset organized a socialist club in Fargo[3]), Townley brought his expertise to North Dakota.[4] He knew that with the recent strife in Bismarck between a conservative legislature and the American Society of Equity and its farm following, the time was ripe for a political revolution. Townley resolved to organize the farmers, so that they could control the primaries, whether it be Republicans or Democrats or both. This was the organization of the Farmers Nonpartisan League (later called the National Nonpartisan League). Townley organized the farmers of the state together for united action in nominating at the primaries and electing at the polls the men of their own choosing and men who would carry out their programs.[4]
The method of organization was simple, scientific and successful. Organizers carefully went forth in ever increasing numbers to sell the idea to the farmers and to get their support for the new movement. The league grew quickly. The first members were pledged in February 1915. Before midsummer, there were 10,000 members, and before winter set in, there were 26,000 names enrolled.[4]
The Nonpartisan League membership pledge was $2.50 a year, it later rose to nine dollars a year. The goals of the league were to use their collective best efforts to secure the nomination and election of men for office within the state. Men whom the investigations of the League have show by conviction, record and conduct do approve and will support legislation necessary for the purpose of saving millions of dollars each year for the farmer and were to be nominated and elected to carry out the league program.[4]
The League program consisted of five planks:
- State owned and operated elevators, flour mills, and packing plants
- State hail insurance
- Exemption of farm improvements from taxation
- Fair grain grades, based upon milling and baking values
- Rural credits at cost
Each was designed to remedy what the farmers conceived as an abuse, and each was to lower the cost of producing and marketing grain.[4]
The determination of the league fulfilled their pledge and many of their planks passed legislation. The growth of far left sympathies was on the rise in North Dakota. The Socialists had considerable success. They brought in many outside speakers;
Throughout the decades, the League pushed for the establishments of state operated mills, elevators, and banks. The state was not entirely isolationist, just as it was neither entirely liberal nor entirely conservative. By 1952, the Non-partisan league was itself divided.
Toward a two-party system
Two factions divided the traditionally liberal Nonpartisan League, on one side the insurgents on the other the old guard.
The Executive Committee of the NPL still formally exists within the party structure of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. It was at one point headed by former State Senator "Buckshot" Hoffner (D-NPL, Esmond), Chairman, and former Lt. Governor Lloyd Omdahl, Secretary.
Although the Democratic Party was still the minority, the number of Democrats in the state legislature increased greatly. Before the league moved into the Democratic Party, there were only five Democrats among the 162 members of both houses of the legislature in 1955. In 1957 the number grew to 28, 1959 the numbers continued to grow reaching 67, despite a drop to 62 members in 1961, nevertheless, for the first time in history, North Dakota was becoming a two-party state.[3]
Recent events
North Dakota has one of the lowest unemployment rates of all 50 states.[5] The Nonpartisan League laid a foundation of enriched public ownership and responsibility in such institutions as a state bank. One study has drawn conclusions that publicly operated institutions such as the state bank have helped North Dakota weather economic storms.[6]
The Bank of North Dakota was created to address market failures associated with monopoly power among large financial and business institutions in the early twentieth century. This market power meant that small farming operations had inadequate access to credit. One of the goals of the Nonpartisan League was to remedy limited access to credit by establishing this institution. A measure of the public good brought about by the Bank's establishment that still stands today is what some have identified as the Bank's role in reducing the impact of economic recession. The public-private relationship establishes roles assigned according to what each sector does best, allowing the mutual benefit of public and private banks balancing out inequality and building equality, thus creating an economic safety net for North Dakota citizens. These early roots of the Democratic-Nonpartisan League party have been celebrated for establishing a foundation that rights the state in times of national crisis and provides economic security to generations of the state's farmers.
Electoral history
Legislative Leadership
- Senate Minority Leader: Kathy Hogan
- Assistant Senate Minority Leader: Merrill Piepkorn
- Senate Minority Caucus Chair: Ryan Braunberger
- House Minority Leader: Zac Ista
- Assistant House Minority Leader: Joshua Boschee
- House Minority Caucus Chair: Jayme Davis
Members of the State House
As of the 66th session of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly (2019–2020), the Democratic-NPL Party holds both seats for 5 of North Dakota's 47 legislative districts in the North Dakota House of Representatives with two members and holds a single seat in 5 additional districts, for a total of 15 Democratic-NPL house members.
The 15 members are as follows:[2]
Representative | District |
---|---|
Tracy Boe | 9th |
Marvin E. Nelson | 9th |
Gretchen Dobervich | 11th |
Ron Guggisberg | 11th |
Corey Mock | 18th |
Richard G. Holman | 20th |
LaurieBeth Hager | 21st |
Mary Schneider | 21st |
Alisa Mitskog | 25th |
Ruth Buffalo | 27th |
Pamela Anderson | 41st |
Mary Adams | 43rd |
Zachary M. Ista
|
43rd |
Joshua Boschee | 44th |
Karla Rose Hanson | 44th |
Members of the State Senate
The 7 members of the North Dakota Senate are as follows:[1]
Senator | District |
---|---|
Richard Marcellais | 9th |
Tim Mathern | 11th |
Kathy Hogan | 21st |
Joan Heckaman | 23rd |
Erin Oban | 35th |
JoNell A. Bakke
|
43rd |
Merrill Piepkorn | 44th |
U.S. House of Representatives
1st congressional district
- 1959–1960 Quentin Burdick
2nd congressional district
- 1965–1967 Rolland W. Redlin
- 1971–1973 Arthur A. Link
At-large Representative
- 1981–1992 Byron Dorgan
- 1993–2011 Earl Pomeroy
U.S. Senate history
Class I
- 1960–1992 Quentin N. Burdick
- 1992 Jocelyn Burdick
- 1992–2013 Kent Conrad
- 2013–2019 Heidi Heitkamp
Class III
- 1987–1992 Kent Conrad
- 1992–2011 Byron Dorgan
Election results
Presidential
Election | Presidential Ticket | Votes | Vote % | Electoral votes | Nationwide result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1956 | Adlai Stevenson/Estes Kefauver | 96,742 | 38.09% | 0 / 4
|
Lost |
1960 | John F. Kennedy/Lyndon B. Johnson | 123,963 | 44.52% | 0 / 4
|
Won |
1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson/Hubert Humphrey | 149,784 | 57.97% | 4 / 4
|
Won |
1968 | Hubert Humphrey/Edmund Muskie | 94,769 | 38.23% | 0 / 4
|
Lost |
1972 | George McGovern/Sargent Shriver | 100,384 | 35.79% | 0 / 3
|
Lost |
1976 | Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale | 136,078 | 45.80% | 0 / 3
|
Won |
1980 | Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale | 79,189 | 26.26% | 0 / 3
|
Lost |
1984 | Walter Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro | 104,429 | 33.80% | 0 / 3
|
Lost |
1988 | Michael Dukakis/Lloyd Bentsen | 127,739 | 42.97% | 0 / 3
|
Lost |
1992 | Bill Clinton/Al Gore | 99,168 | 32.18% | 0 / 3
|
Won |
1996 | Bill Clinton/Al Gore | 106,905 | 40.13% | 0 / 3
|
Won |
2000 | Al Gore/Joe Lieberman | 95,284 | 33.1% | 0 / 3
|
Lost |
2004 | John Kerry/John Edwards | 111,052 | 35.50% | 0 / 3
|
Lost |
2008 | Barack Obama/Joe Biden | 141,403 | 44.50% | 0 / 3
|
Won |
2012 | Barack Obama/Joe Biden | 124,966 | 38.70% | 0 / 3
|
Won |
2016 | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 93,758 | 27.23% | 0 / 3
|
Lost |
2020 | Joe Biden/Kamala Harris | 114,902 | 31.76% | 0 / 3
|
Won |
Gubernatorial
Election | Gubernatorial candidate | Votes | Vote % | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1956 | Wallace E. Warner | 104,869 | 41.54% | Lost |
1958 | John F. Lord | 98,763 | 46.90% | Lost |
1960 | William L. Guy | 136,148 | 49.44% | Won |
1962 | William L. Guy | 115,258 | 50.44% | Won |
1964 | William L. Guy | 146,414 | 55.74% | Won |
1968 | William L. Guy | 135,955 | 54.82% | Won |
1972 | Arthur A. Link | 143,899 | 51.04% | Won |
1976 | Arthur A. Link | 153,309 | 51.58% | Won |
1980 | Arthur A. Link | 140,391 | 46.39% | Lost |
1984 | George A. Sinner | 173,922 | 55.32% | Won |
1988 | George A. Sinner | 179,094 | 59.88% | Won |
1992 | Nicholas Spaeth | 123,845 | 40.62% | Lost |
1996 | Lee Kaldor | 89,349 | 33.81% | Lost |
2000 | Heidi Heitkamp | 130,144 | 44.97% | Lost |
2004 | Joe Satrom | 84,877 | 27.39% | Lost |
2008 | Tim Mathern | 74,279 | 23.53% | Lost |
2012 | Ryan Taylor | 109,048 | 34.31% | Lost |
2016 | Marvin Nelson | 65,855 | 19.39% | Lost |
2020 | Shelley Lenz | 90,789 | 25.38% | Lost |
See also
- Politics of North Dakota
- North Dakota Republican Party – North Dakota affiliate of the Republican Party
- Political party strength in North Dakota
References
- ^ a b "67th Assembly Members: By Chamber/Party". North Dakota Legislative Branch. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ a b "65th Assembly Members: By Chamber/Party". North Dakota Legislative Branch. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Robinson, Elwyn (1966). History of North Dakota. University of Nebraska Press.
- ^ a b c d e Tostlebe, Alvin (1969). The Bank of North Dakota: An experiment in agrarian banking. New York: AMS Press.
- ^ "Unemployment Rates for States". Bureau of Labor Statistics. Archived from the original on March 18, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ Kodrzycki, Yolanda K; Elmatad, Tal (May 2011). The Bank of North Dakota: A model for Massachusetts and other states? (PDF) (Report). New England Public Policy Center. Retrieved December 6, 2011.