The 2018 race for District 25 Senator, North Dakota, is identical to the 2014 race. A rematch for one four-year term in the state senate will be decided Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Incumbent Sen. Larry Luick, R-District 25, once again faces Perry Miller, D-District 25. Luick announced his bid for re-election in late January 2018. Miller announced his campaign in April. Both have farm and political experience.
Daily News Media offers one last look at District 25’s two North Dakota Senate candidates.
Sen. Larry Luick
• “I will continue to fight on behalf of Richland County and Wilkin County on this diversion project.”
• Chairman of the Senate Ag Committee; member of Judiciary Committee; vice chair of Natural Resources Committee; former member of Water Topics Overview Committee
• stated he was railroaded off Water Topics Committee for going against Fargo’s interests; cited expertise on water, tiling and soils
• defended out-of-state travel by comparing North Dakota to a business and himself an employee needing to attend conferences
• “Committees keep me up-to-date on relevant issues … (they) allow for the exploration of proactive solutions to today’s issues.”
Perry Miller
• “You have my word: I will not travel out of state on the state dime. I’ll pay for it myself if it’s that necessary.”
• Wahpeton councilman-at-large; former Richland County Commissioner; first chairman of Richland-Wilkin Joint Powers Authority
• challenged Luick about his traveling outside North Dakota as a state official in light of potential $800 million deficit and communications advancement
• campaigning against both proposed Fargo-Moorhead Diversion and funding model under legislature’s Republican majority
• “I could not have supported a completely unnecessary reduction in the oil extraction tax.”
Debate debate
A debate between Luick and Miller was announced but ultimately not held. It was scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1 over the airwaves of KBMW in Wahpeton.
“We ran into scheduling conflicts as it was a last-minute event,” said Bill Dablow, KBMW midday host and station manager.
KBMW has hosted programming from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. The debate was pitched by Miller during a Tuesday, Oct. 23 candidate forum.
“I’m just really disappointed that it was cancelled,” Miller said. “It would have been an excellent chance for the people of District 25 to see the difference between Larry and myself.”
Although Luick said he had prepared for the debate, he admitted its cancellation “didn’t break my heart.”
“I personally am not wired to time my responses for a minute answer,” Luick continued. “There’s a whole lot more that goes into responding to these questions than just trying to spit out an answer that’s not going to help out anyone.”
By the numbers
Incumbency is not an automatic guarantee of re-election. Voting was close the last time Luick and Miller ran for election.
A margin of 157 votes determined the 2014 election. Miller received 2,436 votes while Luick was elected after receiving 2,593 votes.
The 2018 race for District 25 Representative, meanwhile, has four candidates. Incumbent Rep. Alisa Mitskog, D-District 25, is joined by newcomer Bill Berlin on the Democratic ticket. Incumbent Rep. Cindy Schreiber Beck, R-District 25, is joined by newcomer Rebecca Forness on the Republican ticket.
Heitkamp visiting Sunday
North Dakota will also hold elections to Congress on Tuesday.
Incumbent Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., faces Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., for a six-year U.S. Senate term.
The U.S. House of Representatives race has three candidates: state Sen. Kelly Armstrong, R-District 36; former state Sen. Mac Schneider, D-District 42; and independent Charles Tuttle.
Most of the congressional candidates have visited the Twin Towns Area in recent weeks and months. One more appearance is scheduled for this weekend.
Heitkamp will hold a “Bring it Home, Heidi!” rally at 5:45 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4. She’ll speak and meet with supporters at Hughes Shelter, Chahinkapa Park in Wahpeton.
How to vote
Voting is open to U.S. citizens who are age 18 or older on election day, North Dakota residents who have resided in their voting precincts for at least 30 days prior to the election and residents who can provide ID including their name, current residential address and date of birth. North Dakota does not require pre-election voter registration.
A driver’s license is the most common form of ID for voters, although state, tribal and long-term care IDs are also accepted. Passports will not be accepted as ID at voting locations.
Several Richland County residents have taken advantage of absentee ballot voting. County Auditor Leslie Hage announced that 1,570 absentee ballots were distributed as of 12 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2. As of that afternoon, 1,260 absentee ballots had been returned.
Where to vote
Richland County’s election day voting locations and hours of operation have not changed.
Locations in Wahpeton open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6, while all other locations open at 9 a.m. Each location closes at 7 p.m.
The voting locations are, for residents of:
• Barrie, Helendale and Walcott townships, plus the city of Walcott, North Dakota: Walcott Lutheran Church, 537 Third St., Walcott, North Dakota
• Sheyenne, Viking, Nansen and Colfax townships, plus the city of Colfax, North Dakota: Colfax Community Hall, 209 Broadway St., Colfax
• Freeman, Garborg, West End, Antelope, Homestead, Wyndmere, Danton and Barney townships, plus the cities of Wyndmere and Barney, North Dakota: Wyndmere Fire Hall, 306 Cedar Ave., Wyndmere
• Liberty Grove, Grant, Dexter, Moran, Duerr townships, plus the city of Lidgerwood, North Dakota: American Legion Hall, 23 Wiley Ave. N., Lidgerwood
• Belford, Brightwood, Elma, Brandenburg, Waldo and Greendale townships, plus the cities of Mantador, Hankinson and Great Bend, North Dakota: Community Center, 112 Main Ave. S., Hankinson, North Dakota
• Abercrombie Township and the city of Abercrombie, North Dakota: Abercrombie Community Hall, 516 Broadway, Abercrombie
• Ibsen and Mooreton townships and the city of Mooreton, North Dakota: Mooreton Fire Hall, 201 Mooreton Ave. S., Mooreton
• Lamars, Devillo and Fairmount townships and the city of Fairmount, North Dakota: Fairmount Community Center, 113 Main Ave., Fairmount
• Eagle Township and the city of Christine, North Dakota: Christine Community Center, 201 Maine St., Christine
• Wahpeton Ward 1 and Summit Township, Wahpeton Community Center, 304 Fifth St. S., Wahpeton, North Dakota
• Wahpeton Ward 2 and Center Township, Richland County Law Enforcement Center, 413 Third Ave. N, Wahpeton
• Wahpeton Ward 3, Dwight Township and the city of Dwight, North Dakota, Wahpeton City Hall, 1900 Fourth St. N., Wahpeton
• Wahpeton Ward 4, Wahpeton Faith Church, 1589 11th St. N., Wahpeton
Save the Date
Daily News Media will cover Election Day both online and in print.
North Dakota and Minnesota residents can view our Facebook and Twitter pages to receive updates Tuesday evening. Election night coverage will begin at 7 p.m., after voting locations close.
Our Wednesday, Nov. 7 edition will include early voting results. Past elections indicate that winners in district and county races may be determined by press time Tuesday evening.
Full results from election night, including races for the U.S. Congress, will be available in our Thursday, Nov. 8 edition.
With midterm elections in two days, look to Daily News Media for updated coverage of North Dakota and Minnesota’s candidates, campaigns and items under consideration.