Rod Gigstad announces candidacy for District 42 Senate seat

Apr. 10—GRAND FORKS — Rod Gigstad is running for the District 42 Senate seat in Grand Forks, and says that his unique experiences as a veterinarian and business owner is what Bismarck needs.

Gigstad said in his announcement that he wants to focus "on collaboration and compromise, particularly with the Republican supermajority, to address the challenges faced by the most vulnerable populations in North Dakota."

Gigstad is running as for the Democratic-NPL nomination for the senate seat. He joins

Sarah Grossbauer

and Carol Hagen, running for the District 42 representative seats, for full slate of Democratic-NPL candidates in the district. Some of the issues he hopes to address if elected are improving child care, mental health care, addressing substance abuse, and being committed to solving social issues in the state.

He is a member of Sharon Lutheran Church and several local clubs and conservation efforts, according to a release. He also acknowledged the difficulties of being a Democrat in a state with a Republican supermajority, but said that, regardless, he is "motivated by a desire to create meaningful change and to work diligently on behalf of North Dakotans."

Gigstad grew up in Knox, North Dakota, on a grain and beef farm. He's been a practicing veterinarian in Grand Forks since 1985.

"Legislation that can only come if we have someone at the table who feels strongly about the issues and realizes that both sides need to compromise to get good laws passed," Gigstad said.

Gigstad received the District 42 endorsement for the Senate seat, along with Grossbauer and Hagen, who received the nominations for the representative seats. Gigstad will first move to the June 11 Democratic-NPL primary, where he is running uncontested. If he wins the primary, he will then move to the November general election and go against the winner of the Republican primary in District 42.