John Hoeven has racked up an impressive record — including his steadfast efforts to strengthen agriculture and energy — in his two terms representing North Dakota in the Senate. He has earned a third term.
Hoeven entered the Senate in 2011 with extensive knowledge of the state after serving as governor from 2000 to 2010. In the Senate, Hoeven has been appointed to key committees that are vital for the state’s interests: agriculture; appropriations, where he is ranking member of the agriculture subcommittee; energy and natural resources as well as Indian affairs.
Much of his focus has been on the twin pillars of North Dakota’s economy, agriculture and energy, which are becoming increasingly entwined through biofuels.
As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Hoeven helped to shape the last farm bill, passed in 2018. He has been a leading voice on crop insurance and stands out for his opposition to the overly restrictive Waters of the United States.
On energy development, Hoeven has been a champion of efforts to harness carbon dioxide through advancing capture and sequestration technologies. A key tool has been his work to pass 45Q tax credits to make capturing and storing carbon financially feasible.
That’s crucial for North Dakota to realize its goal of becoming a leader in creating a carbon economy through capture and storage. Throughout his tenure in Washington, Hoeven has been a staunch supporter of oil and gas development in the vital Bakken Formation.
Hoeven, a Republican, also has worked to diversify North Dakota’s economy and position it for the future. One major example is his support of the state’s unmanned aerial systems industry.
He has passed legislation to make Grand Forks a strategic hub in the emerging industry, including designating the first-in-the-nation Northern Plains test site. Hoeven also helped to establish Grand Sky technology park, which is used by leading unmanned aviation companies.
Flood protection has been another Hoeven priority, and has been dogged in getting Fargo and West Fargo comprehensive flood control through the diversion — an effort that has required no fewer than 16 acts of Congress, both in authorization and appropriations bills.
Now that work on the $3.2 billion diversion is going full bore, with completion scheduled by the spring of 2027, it’s easy to forget the enormous and persistent effort required to get the project to this stage, and Hoeven has been a big part of that collaborative undertaking.
Another of Hoeven’s major focuses in Washington has been to work to ensure the continued viability of North Dakota’s two military bases, Minot Air Force Base and Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Chief among his efforts has been to enhance the missions of both bases: bombers and missles for Minot Air Force Base and the Global Hawk mission for Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Throughout his years in politics, as governor and as senator, Hoeven has been pragmatic. He has avoided the populist, performative politics that has become all too common. A former banker, Hoeven has been businesslike in his approach to politics, and he’s consistently delivered for North Dakota.
