Agriculture Commissioner of North Dakota · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in the North Dakota agriculture commissioner race?
Doug Goehring has the strongest record in the North Dakota agriculture commissioner race. Doug Goehring scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Doug Goehring's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Vern Thompson (7 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Doug Goehring
61 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 50
Democratic-NPL
Vern Thompson
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 58
- Qualifications
- 81
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Doug Goehring
- On the record2026-09-30
Agreed to a recorded Plain Talk debate with Democratic challenger Vern Thompson, released Oct. 16, 2026.
- On the record2014-02
Admitted calling his staff a harem; the State Human Resources Division investigated a complaint, found it lacked substance and took no action, and he said he took training on his own.
Source: Ballotpedia, Doug Goehring
Vern Thompson
- On the record2026-05-15
Took part in a May 2026 candidate forum in Lincoln hosted by the conservative group Sons of Liberty, which no incumbent statewide officeholder attended.
Source: North Dakota Monitor via News From The States, May 2026
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Doug Goehring. No public record found.
Vern Thompson. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Doug Goehring. No public record found.
Vern Thompson. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Doug Goehring. Agreed to a Plain Talk podcast debate with Vern Thompson, released Oct. 16, 2026. Did not attend a May 2026 primary-season candidate forum that no incumbent attended.
Sources: InForum, Rob Port column, Sept. 30, 2026, North Dakota Monitor via News From The States, May 2026
Vern Thompson. Agreed to the Plain Talk podcast debate with the incumbent and took questions at public candidate forums in Lincoln in May and Valley City in July 2026; his platform promises regular town hall meetings.
Sources: InForum, Rob Port column, Sept. 30, 2026, North Dakota Monitor via News From The States, May 2026, KNOX News Radio, July 22, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Doug Goehring. Agriculture commissioner since 2009. A 2014 state human resources review of a complaint about a remark he admitted making found no action warranted; no censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Doug Goehring
Vern Thompson. Served in the state House and Senate, including as Senate minority caucus leader. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: KFYR-TV, Mar. 20, 2026
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Doug Goehring. Has held the sworn office of agriculture commissioner since April 2009. No misuse-of-office finding and no recorded action to reject certified results found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Doug Goehring
Vern Thompson. Took the oath as a state representative and state senator. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Vern Thompson
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Doug Goehring. Agriculture commissioner since his April 2009 appointment, elected to full terms since 2010; earlier a farmer and president and board chairman of Nodak Mutual Insurance Company.
Source: Ballotpedia, Doug Goehring
Vern Thompson. Served in the North Dakota House in 1989 and 1990 and the state Senate from 1997 to 2000, one session as minority caucus leader; a former farmer and now an independent trucker.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Doug Goehring. Seventeen years in the office; past president of the 13-state Midwest Association of State Departments of Agriculture. His campaign lists office accomplishments and a general platform of innovation, research and trade.
Source: Campaign site, Priorities
Vern Thompson. Publishes specific proposals within the commissioner's roles, including Industrial Commission votes on data centers, no nondisclosure deals, mandatory country of origin labeling and farm bill advocacy.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Doug Goehring. Publishes a campaign priorities page and agreed to a podcast debate. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, Priorities, Ballotpedia, Doug Goehring
Vern Thompson. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey, publishes issue positions, and appears at forums and a scheduled debate.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Vern Thompson, Campaign site, home page, North Dakota Monitor via News From The States, May 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Doug Goehring. Third-generation farmer who operates a farm near Menoken with his son; served as president of the Menoken School Board.
Source: Ballotpedia, Doug Goehring
Vern Thompson. Graduated from Minnewaukan High School and represented the Minnewaukan area near Devils Lake in the Legislature.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Vern Thompson, North Dakota Monitor via News From The States, Feb. 2, 2026
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Doug Goehring. Has run the state Department of Agriculture since 2009 and earlier led Nodak Mutual Insurance as president and chairman. No independent performance review was found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Doug Goehring
Vern Thompson. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Doug Goehring. His campaign cites office results including a state pollinator plan and North Dakota's entry, second in the nation, into a federal program letting state-inspected meat be sold across state lines. No independent evaluation found.
Source: Campaign site, Priorities
Vern Thompson. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Doug Goehring. No public record found.
Vern Thompson. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Doug Goehring. No public record found.
Vern Thompson. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Doug Goehring. No public record found.
Vern Thompson. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Doug Goehring. No public record found.
Vern Thompson. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in the North Dakota agriculture commissioner race?
Doug Goehring has the strongest record in the North Dakota agriculture commissioner race. Doug Goehring scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Doug Goehring's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Vern Thompson (7 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in the North Dakota agriculture commissioner race in 2026?
Doug Goehring (Republican, incumbent), Vern Thompson (Democratic-NPL). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Doug Goehring a good candidate for Agriculture Commissioner?
Doug Goehring scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 50 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Vern Thompson a good candidate for Agriculture Commissioner?
Vern Thompson has public evidence on 7 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every North Dakota race scored, and the North Dakota 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.