1972Final resultsIncumbent defeatedSpecial election
1972 special election for North Dakota Legislative District 7
North Dakota State Senate · North Dakota
Ernest M. Sands (R) won with 55.2% of the vote, defeating Paul Swedlund (D) by 10.5 points.
Ernest M. SandsRepublican · winner
55.2%3,087
Paul SwedlundDemocrat · incumbent
44.8%2,502
5,589 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1972
Races before and after
Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)