North Dakota

Outlook: Solid Republican

August 7, 2008 Update:

Barely a race. Republican Governor John Hoeven is running for his third four-year term, and given the popularity of his first two, he’ll win in a landslide against the Democratic candidate, state senator Tim Mathern.

June 13, 2008 Update:

The ballot is finalized for November and the results might as well be too. Democrats picked state senator Tim Mathern as their nominee in an April convention and Republican Gov. John Hoeven announced he was running for reelection and was unopposed. Hoeven is perhaps the most popular governor in the country and Mathern’s lowly fundraising totals, around $100,000 total so far, won’t allow him to make a dent in Hoeven’s favorability ratings. Don’t expect much of a battle here in the Roughrider State this fall.

Background

Popular North Dakota Republican Governor John Hoeven faces a politician’s dream. He had the highest approval rating of any governor in 2006 and serves in a state with no term limits, allowing him to seek a third consecutive term, as many believe he will. Hoeven is a Republican moderate who first won election in 2000 with 55 percent of the vote, and increased that majority to 71 percent in his 2004 reelection bid. As of November 2006, Hoeven had an 86 percent approval rating and only 10 percent disapproval rating, making him the most popular governor in the nation. The state’s $600 million surplus didn’t hurt him in achieving such popularity, nor does his status as the nation’s longest serving governor currently in office.

Should Hoeven decline to run for a third term, North Dakota will still probably see a Republican in the office. Every state-wide office is filled by a Republican except for one in North Dakota. Still, the state does have the potential to elect a Democrat, as evidenced by its completely Democratic delegation to the U.S. Congress. In fact, some speculate that Hoeven might eventually, even in 2008, decide to challenge one of these Democratic congressmen. If Hoeven passes on that prospect in 2008, though, it will be smooth sailing to the statehouse once more.