BISMARCK, N.D. -- Kent Conrad, the North Dakota Democrat who announced in April he would leave his Senate seat because of Congress's failure to balance the budget, was elected Friday to the state's other seat.
With about half the vote counted, Conrad led Republican Jack Dalrymple by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in a special election to complete the term of the late North Dakota Sen. Quentin Burdick.
Independent candidate Darold Larson was a distant third.
Conrad, 44, announced in April he would not campaign for a second term, honoring a 1986 campaign pledge to give up his seat if the federal budget deficit had not been reduced significantly.
But the situation changed when Burdick died Sept. 8 at age 84. Conrad decided to run for Burdick's seat.
Dalrymple, a 44-year-old farmer from Casselton, joined other Republicans in crying foul at Conrad's decision to run again and tried to make it a key campaign issue.
But Conrad campaign spokeswoman Laurie Boeder said North Dakotans 'crossed a mental line' on that issue early in the race and decided Conrad was not breaking his original promise.
Dalrymple also campaigned on farm issues, suggesting that the federal government loosen up on its loans to help farmers market their wheat. Conrad said the Republican candidate's idea would be too expensive.
A low voter turnout of only about 20 percent was blamed on North Dakotans' weariness with a long political season and long lines on general Election Day last month. Temperatures in the single digits and teens, along with wind chills below zero, also helped keep voters away from polling booths.
