North Dakota - At Large
Incumbent --
Earl Pomeroy (D)
; Defeated by Rick Berg, R, in general election on November 2, 2010
Tossup
Updated Oct. 14, 2010
While a recent poll taken for Pomeroy showed a tied race, most previous polls showed former state Rep. Rick Berg with a small lead.
Berg, the former Majority Leader in the state House, has represented Fargo since 1985. He was named to the top tier of the NRCC's Young Guns program after he won the state party's endorsement at its March convention.
Pomeroy has tried to neutralize the baggage of being a nine-term Congressman in an anti-incumbent cycle by pointing to Berg's lengthy career in the state Legislature. At the same time he has promoted his positions on the Ways and Means and Agriculture committees. Berg has criticized Pomeroy's support for the stimulus, the bailout and health care reform. Pomeroy's health care vote in particular has been highlighted by Republicans and outside groups in advertising.
Pomeroy, a member of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition, aired an ad in late September that connected him to President George W. Bush as Bush signed Medicare Part D into law.
Pomeroy has been targeted in difficult election cycles before, but this will be his toughest test yet -- and it's not one that even Democrats are convinced he'll be able to pass.
District Information
District Profile from Politics in America
North Dakota includes fertile eastern Red River farmlands, wheat-covered plains, arid grasslands and Teddy Roosevelt's beloved ranches near the western border.
The state's agriculture-based economy must withstand extreme weather conditions, including severe droughts to the west and flooding along the Red River. Wind energy, biofuel, coal, gas and oil are key in the western part of the state, and technology has emerged as a significant economic contributor in the eastern part of the state, with Fargo hosting a Microsoft campus.
Economic trends have intensified migration of the state's young people away from rural farming communities and into the cities of Fargo and Grand Forks, where a diversified economy, health care facilities and several universities provide greater job choice.
After two decades of sending an entirely Democratic delegation to Congress, the state elected Republican Gov. John Hoeven to the U.S. Senate and Republican Rick Berg to the U.S. House in 2010. Eastern communities and American Indian reservations are more supportive of Democrats, but Republican roots are strong throughout the state -- the state legislature and governorship are both GOP-controlled. John McCain carried the state with 53 percent of the vote in the 2008 presidential election.
Major Industry
Agriculture, energy, technology, health care, higher education
Military Bases
Minot Air Force Base, 5,386 military, 1,071 civilian; Grand Forks Air Force Base, 1,230 military, 338 civilian (2011)
Cities
Fargo, 105,549; Bismarck, 61,272; Grand Forks, 52,838; Minot, 40,888
Notable
The National Buffalo Museum is in Jamestown.
District Election History
| Year |
Election |
Candidate |
Votes |
Percent |
| 2010 |
general |
Rick Berg (R) |
129,802 |
54.7% |
| Earl Pomeroy (D) |
106,542 |
44.9% |
| 2008 |
general |
Earl Pomeroy (D) |
194,577 |
62% |
| Duane Sand (R) |
119,388 |
38% |
| 2006 |
general |
Earl Pomeroy (D) |
142,934 |
65.7% |
| Matt Mechtel (R) |
74,687 |
34.3% |
| 2004 |
general |
Earl Pomeroy (D) |
185,130 |
59.6% |
| Duane Sand (R) |
125,684 |
40.4% |
| 2002 |
general |
Earl Pomeroy (D) |
121,073 |
52.4% |
| Rick Clayburgh (R) |
109,957 |
47.6% |
Vote For President
| Year |
Democrat |
Republican |
Independent |
| 2008 |
Barack Obama: 45% |
John McCain: 53% |
|
| 2004 |
John Kerry: 35% |
George W. Bush: 63% |
|
| 2000 |
Al Gore: 33% |
George W. Bush: 61% |
|
