The North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party (abbreviated Democratic-NPL or simply D-NPL) is the North Dakota affiliate of the national Democratic Party. It was formed by the 1956 merger of the state Democratic Party with the Nonpartisan League; the state previously had a three-party political system. The D-NPL is one of only two state Democratic Party affiliates to have a different name from the central party, the other being the neighboring Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party.
The party holds five seats in the North Dakota Senate, and eleven seats in the North Dakota House of Representatives.
History
The North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party has roots in the Progressive Era of American history. At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, progressives – including lawyers, merchants, editors, and professors – joined both the Republican Party, which had strong control of state politics, as well as the state Democratic Party, the progressive faction of which called itself "the party of the laborer and the farmer." Although they did not alter the control of the Republican Party during this era, progressives found support in the Norwegian-settled state, especially in the east. He knew that with the recent strife in Bismarck between a conservative legislature and the American Society of Equity and its farm following, the time was ripe for a political revolution. Townley resolved to organize the farmers so that they could control the primaries, whether it be Republicans or Democrats or both. This was the organization of the Farmers Nonpartisan League (later called the National Nonpartisan League). Townley organized the farmers of the state together for united action in nominating at the primaries and electing at the polls the men of their own choosing and men who would carry out their programs. The Nonpartisan League laid a foundation of enriched public ownership and responsibility in such institutions as a state bank. One study has drawn conclusions that publicly operated institutions such as the state bank have helped North Dakota weather economic storms.
The Bank of North Dakota was created to address market failures associated with monopoly power among large financial and business institutions in the early twentieth century. This market power meant that small farming operations had inadequate access to credit. One of the goals of the Nonpartisan League was to remedy limited access to credit by establishing this institution. A measure of the public good brought about by the Bank's establishment that still stands today is what some have identified as the Bank's role in reducing the impact of economic recession. The public-private relationship establishes roles assigned according to what each sector does best, allowing the mutual benefit of public and private banks balancing out inequality and building equality, thus creating an economic safety net for North Dakota citizens. These early roots of the Democratic-Nonpartisan League party have been celebrated for establishing a foundation that rights the state in times of national crisis and provides economic security to generations of the state's farmers.
Electoral history
Legislative Leadership
- Senate Minority Leader: Kathy Hogan
- Assistant Senate Minority Leader: Josh Boschee
- Senate Minority Caucus Chair: Ryan Braunberger
- House Minority Leader: Zac Ista
- Assistant House Minority Leader: Gretchen Dobervich
- House Minority Caucus Chair: Jayme Davis
Members of the State House
As of the 69th session of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly (2024-2026), the Democratic–NPL Party has a total of 11 House members.
The 11 members are as follows: