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| Turnout | 237,137 | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Berg: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Pomeroy: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in North Dakota | ||||||||
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The2010 House election in North Dakota took place on November 2, 2010, to elect the state's at-large Representative to theUnited States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; this election was for the112th Congress from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013.North Dakota has one seat in the House, apportioned according to the2000 United States census.
The election was held concurrently with theUnited States Senate elections of 2010 (including one in North Dakota), theUnited States House elections in other states and various state and local elections.
DespiteRepublican dominance at the presidential level in North Dakota, which has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964, as well as state and local elections,Democrats achieved several consecutive victories in congressional elections in the state since the 1980s. Democrats had held the state's at-large House seat since 1981. From 1987 to 2011, North Dakota had a completely Democraticcongressional delegation.
Since his first election in 1992, incumbent Democrat Earl Pomeroy had usually won reelection by comfortable margins. However, with Democrats fighting in a much tougher political environment in 2010, Republicans planned on putting forward a serious challenge.[1] Republicans running against him included state Public Service CommissionerKevin Cramer, state Representative Rick Berg, and former University of Mary football coach Paul Schaffner. Pomeroy was likely more vulnerable than usual due to his support for the Democratic House Healthcare bill, which 64% of North Dakotans opposed,[citation needed] and PresidentBarack Obama's declining job approval ratings in the state.[2]
| Poll source | Date(s)dministered | Earl Pomeroy (D) | Rick Berg (R) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Opinion Strategies[3]† | October 24–25, 2010 | 42% | 51% | - | - |
| Rasmussen Reports[4] | October 18–19, 2010 | 42% | 52% | 1% | 5% |
| The Hill/ANGA[5] | October 16–19, 2010 | 45% | 44% | - | 9% |
| Prairie Poll[6] | October 2010 | 44% | 34% | - | - |
| Rasmussen Reports[7] | September 20–21, 2010 | 45% | 48% | 1% | 5% |
| Garin-Hart-Yang[8]† | September 10–12, 2010 | 46% | 44% | - | - |
| Rasmussen Reports[9] | August 10–11, 2010 | 44% | 53% | 1% | 3% |
| Rasmussen Reports[10] | July 21, 2010 | 46% | 49% | 1% | 5% |
| Rasmussen Reports[11] | June 15–16, 2010 | 44% | 51% | 1% | 5% |
| Rasmussen Reports[12] | May 19, 2010 | 43% | 52% | 2% | 3% |
| Rasmussen Reports[13] | April 20, 2010 | 45% | 49% | 2% | 4% |
| Rasmussen Reports[14] | March 23–24, 2010 | 44% | 51% | 1% | 4% |
| Rasmussen Reports[15] | February 9–10, 2010 | 40% | 46% | 3% | 11% |
†Internal poll (Garin-Hart-Yang for Pomeroy and Public Opinion Strategies for Berg)
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[16] | Tossup | November 1, 2010 |
| Rothenberg[17] | Tilt R(flip) | November 1, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[18] | Lean R(flip) | November 1, 2010 |
| RCP[19] | Lean R(flip) | November 1, 2010 |
| CQ Politics[20] | Tossup | October 28, 2010 |
| New York Times[21] | Tossup | November 1, 2010 |
| FiveThirtyEight[21] | Likely R(flip) | November 1, 2010 |
In the general election, Berg unseated Pomeroy by a vote of 129,802 (55%) to 106,542 (45%), becoming the first Republican since 1981 to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Berg | 129,802 | 54.74 | |||
| Democratic–NPL | Earl Pomeroy (incumbent) | 106,542 | 44.93 | |||
| Write-in | 793 | 0.33 | ||||
| Total votes | 237,137 | 100.00 | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic–NPL | ||||||
Debates
