Grand Forks elections · Candidate listing
Vern Thompson
Democratic-NPL
Election day:
Candidate websiteBackground
Thompson is the Democratic-NPL candidate for Agriculture Commissioner in the 2026 general election. His campaign website describes him as a farmer and presents his candidacy as focused on the farm crisis; the 2026 forum coverage also reports that he had traveled around the state discussing producer concerns.
Sources: Vern Thompson campaign website, Wahpeton Daily News, 2026 statewide candidates forum coverage
What the candidate has said
Statements are attributed to the linked sources.
Farm Bill
Thompson proposes a permanent, comprehensive Farm Bill that funds crop insurance, conservation, nutrition, and agricultural research, and says he would work with other agriculture commissioners to advocate for it.
Vern Thompson campaign websiteCountry-of-origin labeling
He supports restoring mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for beef and pork, saying it would help producers receive a fairer price for their products.
Vern Thompson campaign websiteFarm profitability
Thompson identified farm profitability and debt as major producer challenges and said he would help farmers and ranchers retain more of the value they produce in North Dakota.
Wahpeton Daily News, 2026 statewide candidates forum coverage