First In Line: North Dakota

Something is happening in North Dakota.

Convention attendance nearly quadrupled. Sixty Democrats filed for state legislature.

In the Williston area, Districts 1 and 23 endorsed three Democrats for six legislative seats. Neither district fielded a single Dem-NPL legislative candidate in 2022. And District 1 filled all seven of its delegate spots for the state convention for the first time in recent memory.

"I've been with the Democratic Party here in District 1 for decades," said district chair Bruce Anderson, "and I can't remember the last time we've filled that delegation."

This is what a resurgence looks like at the ground level. It's not a press release and a national party initiative. It's people showing up in church basements and middle school gyms because they've decided that silence isn't working anymore.

Now they need our support to match their momentum.

First In Line is a national initiative from Every State Blue that funds Democratic state legislative candidates in districts that too often get little attention. The places where candidates knock on doors knowing the odds are long, but they show up anyway, because someone has to and because the fight matters.

Having a Democratic candidate on the ballot increases vote share at the top of the ticket by 1.5% in that district. Republicans have to spend money and staff time defending seats they used to take for granted. Voters get a choice instead of a coronation. And candidates who run – even in tough districts – become the recruiters, the organizers, the breakout voices, and sometimes the winners of the future.

Every dollar you give goes directly to North Dakota candidates through ActBlue. Our target is $2,500 per candidate – enough to make a real difference in a state legislative race.

North Dakota Democrats are showing up. In church basements and school gyms, in districts that haven't seen a Democratic candidate in years, people are raising their hands and saying, I'll go.

Let's lift them up.

*We fund in rounds: uncontested districts first, then Solid R, Likely R, and Lean R. Our target is to raise $2,500 per candidate. Note: The current fundraising goal is a milestone toward that overall target. Once we raise the equivalent of $2,500 per page recipient (which in ND's Round 1 is $55,000), the next round opens.

A candidate not listed may not yet qualify for this round, may still have a primary, or may not have an ActBlue page set up.

Your gift splits evenly among recipients. Click "customize amounts" to adjust.

Learn more at everystateblue.org/first-in-line