← Election Series · State Legislature coverage · North Dakota districts
Endorses Kempenich
The race
House District 39 elects 2 seats in 2026. The incumbent of record is Keith Kempenich; Mike Schatz (Republican). On the confirmed general-election roster (Ballotpedia compilation; see Sources): Sandy Baertsch (Democratic-NPL), Keith Kempenich (Republican), Mike Schatz (Republican). Conflict printed, not resolved: Ballotpedia's page header counts 46 House seats up statewide, while the North Dakota Secretary of State's 2026 filing guide and NCSL support 48 regular seats (24 districts × 2), and Ballotpedia's own general-election table lists all 24 districts. This article follows the encoded 48-seat set. Two unexpired-term seats (Districts 26 and 42) exist separately and are not this race.
Sandy Baertsch (Democratic-NPL). On the compiled record, Sandy Baertsch is a confirmed general-election candidate for this seat. No detailed voting-record or biography file beyond the roster was verified at this sourcing depth, and we do not invent one.
Pros: Gives voters who disagree with the Republican program a choice on the ballot; steelmanned, that choice is the honest core of the candidacy. Cons: A party-line Democrat with no Manchin-test break located — no proven in-service break with their party toward our values. Caucus math is lighter in the House than in the Senate, but it does not by itself earn the exception. The flaw, plainly: Enabler class, not extremist — a reliable party-line vote, which is the standing reason the exception for a Democrat is not earned here. No personal-program extremist classification is made: none was documented.
Keith Kempenich (Republican) (incumbent). On the compiled record, Keith Kempenich is a confirmed general-election candidate for this seat. No detailed voting-record or biography file beyond the roster was verified at this sourcing depth, and we do not invent one.
Pros: Runs under the party whose program — Constitution, free markets, faith, freedom — this publication supports; Republicans are in-tent, and intra-party questions are priced on records, not faction labels. Cons: No proven in-service flaw meeting this publication's standard was located in the compiled record. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located in the compiled record.
Mike Schatz (Republican) (incumbent). On the compiled record, Mike Schatz is a confirmed general-election candidate for this seat. No detailed voting-record or biography file beyond the roster was verified at this sourcing depth, and we do not invent one.
Pros: Runs under the party whose program — Constitution, free markets, faith, freedom — this publication supports; Republicans are in-tent, and intra-party questions are priced on records, not faction labels. Cons: No proven in-service flaw meeting this publication's standard was located in the compiled record. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located in the compiled record.
OUR CALL
We endorse Keith Kempenich and Mike Schatz for the 2 seats. The reasoning is the doctrine applied to the sourced roster: no proven flaw was located against the endorsed candidate(s), no Democratic candidate on this ballot passed the Manchin test, and no extremist classification was documented for any candidate — so the call rests on party program and caucus math, stated openly.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Ballotpedia, "North Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2026" — roster, incumbency, open-seat status — https://ballotpedia.org/North_Dakota_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026
- North Dakota Secretary of State, 2026 Election & Candidate Filing Guide; NCSL 2026 legislative races table — regular House seat count (48) as discussed in The race
- Sabato's Crystal Ball, "The Key State Legislative Races" (October 2026) — both North Dakota chambers rated Safe Republican — https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/the-key-state-legislative-races-gop-plays-defense-in-midwest-and-elsewhere/
- North Dakota Monitor, April 6 and June 10, 2026 — filing and primary context — https://northdakotamonitor.com/2026/04/06/north-dakota-sees-more-contested-races-for-2026-legislative-elections/
- Roster note carried from the inventory: ND DISCREPANCY: Ballotpedia page header says 46 House seats up, but its general table lists 24 odd-numbered districts x 2 seats = 48; ND SOS 2026 candidate filing guide says 48 House seats (odd districts) plus unexpired-term seats in Districts 26 and 42 (not enumerated here). This file follows the SOS/NCSL count of 48 regular seats stated in the task. Ballotpedia lists Democratic column; party shown as Democratic-NPL.
- Record gaps: no district partisan baseline (beyond the cited previews where given), detailed legislative voting record, or campaign-finance figures for these nominees were verified at this sourcing depth; roster strength remains compilation (Ballotpedia), not SOS
- Standing check: no pedophile-association material meeting the proven standard (knowing association with or defense of a convicted pedophile) was located for any candidate on this ballot.
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.
← All North Dakota state-legislative districts · Full state-legislative enumeration