1986Flipped from RepublicanFinal resultsIncumbent defeated
1986 election for North Dakota Legislative District 51
North Dakota State Senate · North Dakota
Tim Mathern (D) won with 50.8% of the vote, defeating Donald J. Kilander (R) by 1.6 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Tim MathernDemocrat · winner
50.8%3,121
Donald J. KilanderRepublican · incumbent
49.1%3,021
6,147 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 1986
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET