North Dakota District 16 is only a little more than a dozen years old, reflecting the rapid growth of West Fargo in a short period of time.
Learn more about the demographics of D16 here.
The district was created by the North Dakota Legislature in 2011, after the 2010 census. Legislators for the new district elected in 2012 were Democratic Senator Tyler Axness and Democratic Representative Ben Hanson. Democrat John Lund also was a candidate for the House of Representatives, but the Republican candidate, Ben Koppelman, was successful.
In 2016 the Democratic Senate candidate for District 16 was Tyler Axness, who was defeated by David Clemens. Democrats Ben Hanson and Lisa Dullum ran for the House of Representatives. Republicans Andrew Marschall and David Clemens were elected.
Democrats Tracey Wilkie and Hamida Dakane were candidates for the North Dakota House of Representatives in 2020, and Kari Breker ran against David Clemens for the Senate seat. However, all three Republicans were re-elected.
District lines were redrawn in 2021. Part of the district was reassigned to District 13 in north West Fargo. Only a small area of Fargo and a small neighborhood of West Fargo north of Interstate 94 is now left in the district. The rest of the district encompasses West Fargo south of Interstate 94 and west of Veterans Boulevard.
Three Democratic candidates who live in District 16 will be running to replace the current Republican Legislators, whose terms end in 2024. Democratic residents of District 16 who are interested in being a candidate on the ballot in the November 2024 election should contact a district officer.