Dem-NPL leader Jamie Selzler tapped to replace Fargo mayor in North Dakota Senate

Jamie Selzler, an active leader of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, will take Fargo Mayor Josh Boschee’s seat in the state Senate, the District 44 Dem-NPL executive committee announced Tuesday.

Selzler, a former executive director of the Dem-NPL Party, has served as the state’s Democratic National Committeeman for the past three years and has been active in state politics for more than two decades, according to a statement from the party.

Boschee, elected mayor in June, resigned from the Legislature on Monday. Selzler will complete the term, which ends in 2028.

Selzler commended Boschee for his years of service to the state and setting a strong example of hard work, respect and relationship building across party lines.

“I’m going to try to live up to his example,” Selzler said in an interview Tuesday.

Selzler ran for state House in 2006 when he was living in Grand Forks, but lost by 32 votes to Republican Darrell Nottestad.

Fargo Mayor Josh Boschee resigns from North Dakota Senate

However, that election prompted him to be noticed by members of the Dem-NPL Party, who brought Selzler on as executive director the following year, a position he held until early 2009.

As a member of the Democratic National Committee, Selzler said he uses his platform to speak up for rural states like North Dakota.

“I am a proud Democrat, but I am much more pragmatic when it comes to government policy and how things should operate,” he said.

He said he plans to get to know many state lawmakers as they prepare for a special legislative session in September that will focus on banning kratom and a regular session in 2027.

“My understanding is there is a natural variety and a synthetic variety so we should explore if there is a difference in how those are treated by the law,” he said. Selzler added he’s hesitant to create felonies for people who are addicted to a substance without a process to get them help or treatment.

“It would be really unfair if someone can go into a store and buy this stuff today and then, in a month or two, they are put in jail for it,” Selzler said. “I think that’s setting us up for a not good situation.”

Selzler is the founder and CEO of My One Change, a personal coaching company aiming to inspire people to make healthy choices to advance their lives.

“Jamie brings many years of strategic leadership within the party and has extensive experience working with North Dakotans on both sides of the aisle,” said Jessie Smette, chair of Dem-NPL District 44 in a statement. “We are confident he will use those skills to benefit not only the constituents in District 44, but all North Dakotans.”

Selzler said he is unsure if he will run for reelection to the seat in 2028.

“In general, I assume that I will, but I don’t want to make that decision until I actually experience what it’s like to be a senator,” he said.

North Dakota Monitor reporter Michael Achterling can be reached at [email protected].