The District 41 contest
North Dakota State House District 41 has a contested general election scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026. The candidates are Jorin Johnson and Karen Grindberg, both Republicans and both incumbents.
That makes this a contest in which party affiliation and incumbency do not separate the candidates. Each enters the election identified as a current officeholder, and each will appear under the same party label.
No policy positions are documented for either Johnson or Grindberg. As a result, the candidate information currently associated with the race does not establish differences between them on legislation, spending, taxes or other state issues. Neither candidate has an advantage in this preview from having a stated position that the other lacks.
The race’s contested status means District 41 is not listed as an uncontested State House election. The general election, rather than a party label alone, will determine the outcome on Nov. 3.
Jorin Johnson
Jorin Johnson is running as a Republican incumbent in District 41. His candidacy combines the two main descriptors shared across the field: current officeholding status and Republican affiliation.
Johnson has no documented policy positions in the race. Voters therefore do not yet have stated positions from him to compare with Grindberg’s on specific questions before the North Dakota Legislature.
Johnson’s status as an incumbent means he is seeking to continue serving in the State House. The election listing does not establish a distinct issue platform for his campaign, so his candidacy cannot be characterized by a particular policy priority in this preview.
Karen Grindberg
Karen Grindberg is running as a Republican incumbent in District 41. Like Johnson, she enters the general election as a current officeholder and with the Republican Party designation.
Grindberg also has no documented policy positions in the race. Voters therefore do not yet have stated positions from her to compare with Johnson’s on specific questions before the North Dakota Legislature.
Grindberg’s status as an incumbent means she is seeking to continue serving in the State House. The election listing does not establish a distinct issue platform for her campaign, so her candidacy cannot be characterized by a particular policy priority in this preview.
What is contested
The central feature of the District 41 race is that it includes two candidates who have the same party affiliation and the same incumbent status. The contest is therefore not defined by a Republican-versus-Democratic choice or by an incumbent facing a candidate who does not currently hold office.
It is also not yet defined by documented differences on public policy. Johnson and Grindberg have no recorded positions in this race on which to make a direct issue comparison. Their shared party label does not establish whether they would take identical approaches to legislation.
The next important developments will be any public positions the candidates set out and any changes to the candidate lineup. Those developments could give District 41 voters clearer points of comparison before the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Until then, the confirmed distinctions are limited: Johnson and Grindberg are different candidates, while both are Republicans and incumbents running in the same contested District 41 election.
