Washington, D.C. – Club for Growth Foundation has released its 2025 State Economic Scorecard in North Dakota, offering citizens of the Peace Garden State a look into how lawmakers approach limited government policies.
The Scorecard analyzes policies and votes to assign an Economic Growth Score from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the highest support for pro-growth policies. In 2025, the Foundation’s study examined over 2,100 floor votes and, in the end, included 20 North Dakota House and 15 North Dakota Senate votes.
“Legislators in North Dakota missed the mark in 2025 and cost the state dearly,” said Club for Growth Foundation President David McIntosh. “After passing modest property tax reforms and banning a CBDC, lawmakers in Bismarck bloated bureaucracy by transferring $6.85 million from the General Fund to the Governor’s office, raised the gas tax, and expanded Medicaid. Then, after Governor Armstrong vetoed promising school freedom legislation, the Legislature increased his salary while North Dakotans struggled to make ends meet. This session was nothing short of a failure.”
Click here to view the full 2025 North Dakota State Economic Scorecard from the Club for Growth Foundation.
Key Highlights from the 2025 North Dakota Scorecard:
North Dakota House:
- Average Republican Score: 56%
- Average Democrat Score: 18%
- Highest Rated Republican(s): Reps. Desiree Morton (HD-46) and Christina Wolff (HD-38): 97%
- Highest Rated Democrat(s): Rep. Zachary Ista (HD-43): 31%
- Lowest Rated Republican(s): Rep. Patrick Hatlestad (HD-01): 15%
- Lowest Rated Democrat(s): Rep. Jayme Davis (HD-09): 4%
North Dakota Senate:
- Average Republican Score: 41%
- Average Democrat Score: 16%
- Highest Rated Republican(s): Sen. Jeffrey Magrum (SD-08): 94%
- Highest Rated Democrat(s): Sen. Richard Marcellais (SD-09): 20%
- Lowest Rated Republican(s): Sens. Greg Kessel (SD-39), Jerry Klein (SD-14), Judy Lee (SD-13), Dean Rummel (SD-37), Donald Schaible (SD-31), Ronald Sorvaag (SD-45), and Paul Thomas (SD-06): 22%
- Lowest Rated Democrat(s): Sens. Joshua Boschee (SD-44) and Kathy Hogan (SD-21): 14%
Notable Pro-Limited Government Policies:
HB 1176 – MUDDLED PROPERTY TAX RELIEF PACKAGE
- Triples the primary residence tax credit from $500 to $1,600 and uses oil tax revenue in the state’s Legacy Fund to pay for the increased credit
- Imposes a 3 percent cap on municipal property tax increases
- Estimates suggest a $473 million relief from property tax burdens
HB 1441 – SIGNIFICANT SOUND MONEY REFORMS
- Codifies, in statutory language, that gold and silver are legal tender in the state of North Dakota
- Prohibits a prospective central bank digital currency (CBDC) from being recognized as legal tender in the state
HB 1540 – SCHOOL CHOICE REFORMS
- Provides that ESAs operate on an income-tiered basis, providing parents in eligible households below 200 percent of the federal poverty level with access to 35 percent of the annual per-pupil allocation for qualified education expenses
- Families with income between 200 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level receive 20 percent of the annual per-pupil allocation
- Those over 400 percent receive 10 percent of the annual per-pupil allotment to use for tuition
Notable Anti-Limited Government Policies:
HB 1001 – SIGNIFICANT GOVERNOR’S OFFICE APPROPRIATIONS
- Appropriates $6.85 million from the General Fund to the governor’s office, an increase of 30 percent over base-level funding
- Hikes the governor’s salary from $152,265 to $168,000 per year, a 10.5 percent increase, and increases the lieutenant governor’s salary by 10.3 percent
HB 1382 – GAS TAX INCREASE
- Imposes a 20 percent fee increase on electric and hybrid vehicles and raises the state’s gas tax from 23 cents per gallon to 26 cents per gallon, a 13 percent increase
- This gas tax increase also applies to the sale or delivery of special fuel such as compressed and liquefied natural gas
SB 2231 – MEDICAID SERVICES EXPANSION PACKAGE
- Mandates that Medicaid reimburse family behavioral treatment services, dental screenings, tele-dentistry services, and most other dental treatments
Note: This Scorecard is based on selected votes and does not reflect a legislator’s entire voting record. The Club for Growth Foundation does not endorse or oppose any legislator for public office.