District 29 Democrats Name Kelly, Norris for North Dakota Legislature

The District 29 Democratic-NPL announced John Kelly is running for North Dakota Senate and Diane Norris for the North Dakota House of Representatives. The party's announcement puts two candidates forward for a district that stretches across a broad swath of the region, with a filing deadline and primary rapidly approaching.

Kelly's biography spans three distinct careers across more than four decades. Kelly, of Pekin, received a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Norwich University and built a record of military service before turning to civilian life. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and honorably discharged as a lieutenant colonel. That rank puts him among the senior officer ranks before his return to civilian work. After retiring from farming in 1999, he worked in retail and went on to become a certified nurse assistant, retiring in 2022.

Norris brings a different professional background to the House race. Norris, who resides with her husband in Cooperstown, is an engineer in manufacturing with a Bachelor of Science in biological systems engineering from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She volunteers in the community. Cooperstown sits within the district, a fact that aligns directly with her candidacy's jurisdictional footing.

District 29 encompasses Foster, Griggs, Nelson, Steele and rural Stutsman counties, including the cities of Carrington, Cooperstown, Lakota, Finley and Medina. A portion of southwest Jamestown is also included in District 29.

The primary is June 9, 2026, with a filing deadline of April 6, 2026. Both Kelly and Norris must clear that primary before advancing. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

North Dakota Republicans hold a supermajority in the state Legislature, outnumbering Democrats 42-5 in the Senate and 83-11 in the House. The District 29 nominations are part of a broader Democratic-NPL effort to expand its legislative footprint ahead of November. North Dakota has 47 legislative districts, each served by one senator and two representatives, with elected legislators serving four-year terms. Odd-numbered districts are elected during midterm election years, making 2026 the cycle in which District 29 seats are decided.