Don Lippert

Don Lippert (Democratic Party) is running for election to the North Dakota House of Representatives to represent District 45. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a lifelong North Dakotan, originally from a farm outside of Tolna, but having lived the vast majority of my life in North Fargo. My family lost our farm operation largely due to the recession of the early 1980's, so growing up, money was always very tight, and this has definitely shaped my views on general affordability issues. I have a degree in Social Studies Education. While I ultimately didn't pursue a teaching career due to financial circumstances, I have remained passionate about education, and especially in making teaching a more financially viable profession while ensuring education is more approachable for all students. I have worked as a general employee and a manager in a wide variety of industries, and throughout my career I have always tried to make as many improvements to the efficiency and ease of any role I've filled. So to me, becoming an elected official is very much a calling to do my best to optimize the processes and programs of the State Government to provide its citizens with the best value for their taxes.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am focused on finding solutions to address the lack of affordable childcare throughout the State. I believe that this issue is a problem not only for the families and individuals seeking the care, but also for the business community at large. If we can solve for this problem, we will allow businesses to not only meet their current employee needs, but to possibly expand their businesses with access to workers who may not have been able to prior to the increased childcare access. I also feel like this is solvable with the right combination of incentives and funding.I believe that as a State Government, we have a great opportunity to directly affect the lives of all residents of North Dakota in a positive way. I believe that North Dakota is in a unique position with our diverse energy sources and, in general, pro-business environment to promote programs that would allow us to dramatically address the affordability issues affecting every day North Dakotans.I believe that North Dakota is at a real inflection point in our history. With the confluence of legislative term limits, a general reckoning with the increases in costs of everyday living expenses, and a downturn in the economic forecast of the State, we are at a point in time that would greatly benefit from new leaders in the legislature. I believe that this moment will also require legislators who are creative in their problem solving approach, and as a general observation, with one party having a super-majority, that creativity has been lacking in our recent legislative sessions.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I would say the primary areas, in generalized terms, are Education, Healthcare, and while it is a new interest, energy policy.