District 29 Republicans Endorse Wanzek, Headland, and Wolsky for 2026

Terry Wanzek walked out of the 2025 legislative session having helped triple the state's homestead property tax credit, from $500 to $1,600, for every North Dakota primary residence. Three days before the state's April 6 candidate filing deadline, the District 29 Republican Party formally backed Wanzek's return to the Senate alongside incumbents Craig Headland and Kevin Wolsky for the two House seats, locking in its preferred slate for the 2026 election cycle.

The endorsements, announced March 31 and centered on Jamestown and the surrounding Stutsman County communities that make up District 29, carry real campaign advantages. Party backing typically accelerates fundraising and volunteer recruitment, and unified support for all three incumbents reduces the likelihood of a contested June 9 Republican primary.

Wanzek, a Jamestown farmer who has held the District 29 Senate seat since 2007, chaired the Government Operations Appropriations Committee in the last session. His committee work helped shape the $409 million property tax relief package funded through the North Dakota Legacy Fund. "It took a while, but we finally got to property tax relief for homeowners," Wanzek said of the measure. "We ended up with $1,600."

Headland, who has served in the North Dakota House since 2003 and is a lifelong Stutsman County resident, chaired the Finance and Taxation Committee during the same session. His panel rewrote House Bill 1176 substantially, removing a provision that would have zeroed out primary residence property tax bills entirely before the final version cleared both chambers.

Wolsky, from Carrington, brings a different kind of local record: 12 years on the Carrington School Board before his legislative service. He lists property tax relief and rural economic development as his primary priorities heading into 2026.

Any candidate seeking to challenge one of the three endorsed incumbents in the June 9 primary must file with the North Dakota Secretary of State by 4 p.m. on April 6.