Conrad, in Novel Switch, Wins Burdick’s Senate Seat

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) succeeded in his unorthodox bid to switch Senate seats, winning a rare Friday special election held to replace the late Sen. Quentin N. Burdick.

With Conrad’s victory, Democrats avoided losing their second U.S. Senate seat in as many weeks and kept their majority at 57 to 43. Incumbent Sen. Wyche Fowler Jr. (D-Ga.) lost a runoff election last week to Republican Paul Coverdell.

With 85% of North Dakota’s precincts reporting Friday night, unofficial totals showed Conrad with 72,536 votes, or 64%, to 37,864 votes, or 33%, for Republican opponent Jack Dalrymple.

Darold Larson, an anti-abortion candidate running as an independent, attracted 3,572 votes, or 3%.

Conrad, who declined a reelection race for his own seat to keep a campaign promise, will now serve the two years left on Burdick’s term.

Burdick died Sept. 8 at age 84 after a 32-year Senate career.

Dalrymple, a state representative since 1984, won reelection to his House seat Nov. 3 despite the baggage of running two races at once.

Conrad had been heavily favored to win the first Friday statewide ballot in state history, which he called “the most unusual election I’ve ever been involved in.”

The senator, who spent more than $500,000 on the three-month race, used a healthy chunk of that sum in getting out the vote for an election that was met with apathy by most North Dakotans.