The Nifty Fifty House Party - Part XXXVIII: North Dakota

After pulling through the home state of the Amtrak Senator, Joe Biden, the Bullet Train to November now departs north and west to a state that holds the potential to make a difference on one of today's biggest issues...

NORTH DAKOTA

Originally inhabited by Native American for centuries, North Dakota was originally part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and eventually became part of Dakota Territory on March 2, 1861. It was admitted as the 39th state to the Union on November 2, 1889 alongside South Dakota, but an air of controversy remains as to which state was the 39th admitted: President Benjamin Harrison's Secretary of State, James G. Blaine, shuffled the papers declaring the two states' admittance and Harrison signed partially obscured papers declaring their statehood, and it is unclear to this day as to which state went first. North Dakota's population has fluctuated over the years; it has not broken its highest Census population of 680,845 from 1930 in the last seven Censuses, largely the result of emigration of younger college-educated residents to other states. This has prompted proposals for economic development that have yet to come to fruitition, but there is one solution that does exist: the state is capable of producing 1.2 billion kilowatt hours of wind energy - 25 percent of the energy needs of the entire United States.

In presidential politics, Republicans have typically run the show: Lyndon B. Johnson was the last donkey to win here, in 1964. North Dakota is pretty much a split state as far as its state and federal leadership goes. At the state level, Republicans have held the Governor's Mansion since 1992 and control a majority of statewide offices and the state legislature. At the federal level, since 1986, Democrats have dominated and like its eastern neighbor Minnesota, operates under a unique title: The North Dakota Democratic Non-Partisan League Party, or simply Dem-NPL. No Senate seat is up for reelection this year, and the state's lone House seat is predictable while the race for the White House is not: Barack Obama has the potential to turn North Dakota blue this year, and is fighting with John McCain for its three electoral votes.

At-Large (S-Factor 12.5 GOP): North Dakota is relatively Republican, but Earl Pomeroy has represented this district since first winning it in 1992. The Republicans have a dark horse nominee in retired naval officer Duane Sand, who has raised a total of $1.49 million (98.7% individual donors, 0.82% PAC money) versus Pomeroy's $1.95 million (24% indie, 73.3% PAC). Two problems: Pomeroy is entrenched and Sand's cash on hand has practically disappeared ($153K versus Pomeroy's $1.25 million). Prediction: Solid Dem-NPL.

Next stop: Montana.