Grand Forks County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

Rachel Duray is a developmental disability program manager for North Dakota state government and a lifelong Grand Forks County resident, per the Grand Forks Herald. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Kimberly Hagen is chair of the Grand Forks County Commission and formerly worked as a financial planner at Northwestern Mutual, per the Grand Forks Herald. She is raising four sons in the county, per the Grand Forks Herald. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Debra Kolden-Thibert is a dental hygienist at Spectra Health and owner of MSDAK LLC, per the Grand Forks Herald. She has managed state and federal budgets as a school employee and has served vulnerable populations in Alaska and Arizona, per the Grand Forks Herald. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Andrew Krauseneck owns and operates Albatross Indoor Golf Club, per the Grand Forks Herald. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Mark Rustad is the incumbent commissioner and owns and operates MJM Properties and RL Jenmark, and serves as building management director at HIVE (GrandSky), per the Grand Forks Herald. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Tony Hodny owns and operates H&S Electrical Services and previously worked as an industrial engineer and plant manager at Cargill and Simplot, per the Grand Forks Herald. He is currently serving an interim commission seat following the death of Cynthia Pic, per the Grand Forks Herald. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Mitch McCoy is a farmer and retired construction project manager who worked in that role from 1992 to 2012, per the Grand Forks Herald. He lived in Grand Forks for five years, worked there for twenty years, and has been a rural county resident since 1997, per the Grand Forks Herald. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Andy Schneider was elected Grand Forks County Sheriff in November 2018, succeeding Sheriff Bob Rost, per InForum. He held the rank of sergeant in law enforcement before becoming sheriff, per InForum. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Haley Wamstad serves as Grand Forks County State's Attorney and was the first woman elected to the office, per the Grand Forks County government staff directory. She has been a state prosecutor for more than a decade and helped start the state's first domestic violence court, per the Grand Forks Herald. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Theodore T. Sandberg is a sitting judge of the Northeast Central Judicial District, appointed to the bench in 2024, per the North Dakota Court System. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

Sarah M. Kyte is a Grand Forks attorney who has practiced law since 2019 and is running for a judgeship on the Northeast Central Judicial District, per the Grand Forks Herald. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

M. Jason McCarthy is a sitting judge of the Northeast Central Judicial District, appointed to the bench in 2016, per the North Dakota Court System. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

Kristi Pettit Venhuizen is a sitting judge of the Northeast Central Judicial District, appointed to the bench in 2023, per the North Dakota Court System. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

Nikolaus Groenewold, of Larimore, is a professional firefighter for the U.S. Space Force at Cavalier Air Station and is active as a labor leader, per North Dakota Monitor. He previously ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2018, per the same source. Groenewold is a Democratic-NPL candidate for the North Dakota House District 20 seat left vacant when Jared Hagert resigned to take a federal job. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

David Rustebakke, of Larimore, was appointed to the North Dakota House District 20 seat and became active as its representative on April 21, 2026, per the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, filling the unexpired term left vacant when Jared Hagert resigned. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Nicole Derenne is the Democratic-NPL candidate for the North Dakota House District 42 unexpired term. Derenne is a teaching associate professor in the University of North Dakota's Department of Art and Design and chairs the UND Senate Budget Committee, per the Grand Forks Herald. Derenne has more than two decades of experience in higher education, public administration and nonprofit leadership, including as executive director of the North Valley Arts Council, per the Grand Forks Herald. Derenne's campaign has focused on public education, agriculture and workforce development, housing and child care, and health and aging issues, per the Grand Forks Herald. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.

Connie Osowski is the Republican candidate for the North Dakota House District 42 unexpired term. Osowski is a Grand Forks real estate agent with 20 years in the profession, per the Grand Forks Herald. Osowski is married to sitting Rep. Doug Osowski, and has served as treasurer of District 42 Republicans and previously chaired District 19 Republicans while living in Larimore, per the Grand Forks Herald. The campaign announcement said Osowski would support law enforcement, veterans and military members, and favors property tax relief, per the Grand Forks Herald. No campaign website was found as of September 20, 2026.