Age in the 2025 North Dakota Legislative Assembly
The State of North Dakota held its elections for a new North Dakota House of Representatives and North Dakota State Senate on November 4th, 2024. In January 2025, the currently active 2025 legislative session of the North Dakota General Assembly. Among the members elected, nine were aged 35 or younger on the day of the 2024 election. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the North Dakota General Assembly.
North Dakota Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18–29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote nationwide, including over 8 million who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms.
According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials surpassed Baby Boomers in 2020 to become the largest generation in the U.S., making up 31% of the population, followed closely by Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X accounts for 28%, while the Silent Generation makes up just 9.9%.
The North Dakota House of Representatives 2025 Legislative Session
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected members of the North Dakota House of Representatives
- The average age among North Dakota House members was 58.63 years
- The youngest Representative, Dawson Holle, was born in 2003
- The oldest Representative, Mark A. Sanford, was born in 1939
- 7 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the North Dakota House of Representatives, most representatives come from the Millennial, Generation X, or the Baby Boomer generations. Notably, several members of the current North Dakota House of Representatives belong to Generation Z. Scroll below to view the generations represented in the North Dakota House of Representatives.
Partisanship in the North Dakota House of Representatives
The chart below provides a further breakdown of the current partisan composition of the 2025 North Dakota House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan differences in the North Dakota House extend beyond ideology to include notable generational contrasts. As shown in the visual below, Republican legislators have a higher average age than their Democratic counterparts—59.42 years compared to 52.63 years—a gap of 6.79 years. These disparities may reflect broader patterns in political recruitment, generational turnover, and the types of candidates emerging in recent election cycles.
Young Elected Representatives – North Dakota House of Representatives
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in North Dakota, eight members aged 35 or under were elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives. Below are all nine members, ordered from youngest to oldest, along with information about their local districts and party affiliations.
Young Elected Representatives — North Dakota House (Age ≤ 35)
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age) | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Dawson Holle (R) | District 31 —
Minot, ND |
2003
(Age 21) |
2022 |
 |
Macy Bolinske (R) | District 40 —
Mandan, ND |
1996
(Age 28) |
2024 |
 |
Austin James Foss (D) | District 44 —
Minot, ND |
1994
(Age 30) |
2024 |
 |
Landon Bahl (R) | District 17 —
Bismarck, ND |
1992
(Age 32) |
2022 |
 |
Emily M. O’Brien (R) | District 42 —
Hazen, ND |
1992
(Age 32) |
2016 |
 |
Matthew Ruby (R) | District 40 —
Minot, ND |
1992
(Age 32) |
2000 |
Gender in the North Dakota House of Representatives
The North Dakota House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. In North Dakota, men make up a larger share of the chamber than women. Across all members, 70.21% are men, while men make up 29.79%. For female representatives, the average age was 57.21 at the time of the election, and for men, it was 59.23. Of the 7 Young Elected Leaders, two are female, and five are male.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional age differences emerge within the North Dakota House of Representatives. Republican men and women have a higher average age when compared to Democrats. Democratic men in the North Dakota House have a disproportionately low average age, which is not surprising given the chamber’s overall low number of Democratic representatives (a total of eleven). These patterns show that age representation in the North Dakota House of Representatives varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.
Race and Ethnicity in the North Dakota House of Representatives
The racial and ethnic composition of the North Dakota House of Representatives varies across generations. In 2024, younger cohorts exhibit greater diversity, although the chamber as a whole remains predominantly White. The table below shows the distribution of each generation.
| Ethnicity | Generation Z 1997–2012 |
Millennial Generation 1981–1996 |
Generation X 1965–1980 |
Boomer Generation 1946–1964 |
Silent Generation 1928–1945 |
Full Chamber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White / Caucasian | 2 (100%) | 11 (84.62%) | 24 (92.31%) | 49 (100%) | 4 (100%) | 90 (95.74%) |
| American Indian / Native American | 0 (0%) | 1 (7.69%) | 2 (7.69%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (3.19%) |
| Hispanic / Latino | 0 (0%) | 1 (7.69%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.06%) |
| Total (Percent of Chamber) | 2 (2.13%) | 13 (13.83%) | 26 (27.66%) | 49 (52.13%) | 4 (4.26%) | 94 (100%) |
The full North Dakota House of Representatives is comprised of 94 seats.
The North Dakota Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected North Dakota Senate
- The average age of North Dakota State Senate members is 63.11 years
- The youngest Senator is Claire Cory, born in 1998
- The oldest Senator is Judy Lee, born in 1942
- 2 members of the North Dakota State Senate are Young Elected Leaders, aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the North Dakota State Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in North Dakota, three members aged 35 or under were elected to (and currently serve in) the North Dakota State Senate.
Young Elected Representatives — North Dakota Senate (Age ≤ 35)
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age) | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Claire Cory (R) | District 42 —
Fargo, ND |
1998 (Age 26) | 2022 |
 |
Sean Cleary (R) | District 35 —
Grand Forks, ND |
1992 (Age 32) | 2022 |
Photos courtesy of the North Dakota Senate Member Roster.
Partisanship in the North Dakota State Senate
In the North Dakota State Senate, 42 senators belong to the Republican Party, and 5 senators are Democrats. The mean age of Republican state senators after the 2024 election was 63.15, while the mean age of Democratic state senators was 62.75. Each generation had a different partisan makeup; overall, the North Dakota Senate is overwhelmingly comprised of Baby Boomer Republicans. Below is the breakdown of party composition for each generation within the North Dakota State Senate.
Gender in the North Dakota Senate
The generational makeup of the North Dakota Senate reveals notable gender dynamics. Overall, men are overrepresented across all age groups, especially among older generations. These patterns indicate that gender representation varies across generations, with women being represented in every generational cohort.
Race and Ethnicity in the North Dakota Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the North Dakota Senate shows generational variation. The table below presents the distribution by generation.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the North Dakota Senate
| Ethnicity | Millennial Generation 1981–1996 |
Generation X 1965–1980 |
Boomer Generation 1946–1964 |
Silent Generation 1928–1945 |
Full Chamber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White / Caucasian | 4 (100%) | 5 (83.33%) | 32 (96.97%) | 2 (100%) | 44 (95.56%) |
| Hispanic / Latino | 0 (0%) | 1 (16.67%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (2.22%) |
| American Indian / Native American | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (3.03%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (2.22%) |
| Total (Percent of Chamber) | 4 (8.89%) | 6 (13.33%) | 33 (73.33%) | 2 (4.44%) | 45 (100%) |
The full North Dakota State Senate is comprised of 45 seats. Age is missing for two members.
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in North Dakota which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 2025 North Dakota Legislative Assembly