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United States Senate election in North Dakota, 2010

United States Senate election in North Dakota, 2010
North Dakota
← 2004 November 2, 2010 2016 →
  John Hoeven, Official Senate Portrait, 112th Congress.jpg Tracy Potter - 20100704.jpg
Nominee John Hoeven Tracy Potter
Party Republican Democratic-NPL
Popular vote 181,689 52,955
Percentage 76.1% 22.2%

North Dakota R Sweep.svg
County results

U.S. Senator before election

Byron Dorgan
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

John Hoeven
Republican


Byron Dorgan
Democratic

John Hoeven
Republican

The 2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota took place on November 2, 2010 alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan announced in January 2010 that he would not seek re-election. Republican Governor John Hoeven won the open seat.

Incumbent Byron Dorgan never had a difficult time getting elected, as he obtained 59%, 63%, and 68% in his three senate election bids, respectively. However, in December 2009, Rasmussen Reports conducted a hypothetical matchup of Governor John Hoeven against the incumbent. Hoeven led by a large margin, 58% to Dorgan's 36%. It should be noted that 61% of the state still had a favorable view of Dorgan, and if pitted against State Senator Duane Sand, the incumbent led 52% to 37%.

Several prominent members of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party expressed an interest in the U.S. Senate race once Senator Dorgan announced that he would not run again. Among those people were Joel Heitkamp, a former North Dakota state senator and current radio talk show host of News and Views on KFGO Radio in Fargo, N.D. His sister, former North Dakota Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp of Bismarck, N.D., also considered running, but declined to enter the race as well.


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