Democratic-NPL Party chair to fill term for North Dakota lawmaker who died in plane crash

North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party Chair Adam Goldwyn will serve the final months of Fargo Rep. Liz Conmy’s term after the lawmaker died in a plane crash last month.

The Dem-NPL District 11 executive committee appointed Goldwyn, a North Dakota State University professor who has led the state party since 2023, to serve through Nov. 30.

Conmy, who was running for her second term, died in an April 25 plane crash in Minnesota. 

Goldwyn said he does not intend to run for election to Conmy’s seat this fall. He said he volunteered to serve during the interim so other potential legislative candidates would not have a partial term count against their term limit. 

“We didn’t want to make someone who would have a long legislative career ahead of them use four years on a six-month term that didn’t have legislative business to do,” he said.

Goldwyn, who was Conmy’s neighbor, said he has mixed emotions about the appointment.

“I feel very humbled that District 11’s executive committee selected me,” Goldwyn said. “I wanted to be able to do this for her.” 

Goldwyn is married to Anastassiya Andrianova, a Democratic state House candidate running for election this year in District 11.

Greg Clark, chair of Dem-NPL District 11, said appointing someone who represents the values of the party was important to the district’s executive committee.

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“I think his close relationship to Liz, to me, was important to know that we have someone filling the rest of her term that knew Liz better than most,” Clark said.

Conmy’s death occurred after the candidate withdrawal date for North Dakota’s June primary. The district party is encouraging voters to cast ballots for Conmy on June 9, Clark said. The Secretary of State’s Office has said Conmy’s name cannot be forwarded to the November general election ballot.

Democrats did not submit a candidate by last week’s deadline to be considered a certified write-in candidate in the party’s primary. Potential independent candidates have until Aug. 31 to file paperwork to be on the Nov. 3 ballot. 

Clark said the district will know more information about replacing Conmy in the District 11 House race after the primary. He said district leaders are evaluating their options.

“We’re still not sure,” Clark said. “As a district and as a state party, we’ve received various legal interpretations.”

Republicans did not initially have a candidate for District 11 House, but last week Fargo Republican Doug Sharbono filed to run for the office as a certified write-in candidate. For legislative and statewide races, votes for write-in candidates who are not certified by the Secretary of State’s Office will not be counted.

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