Bachmeier, Foss advance to general election for North Dakota state school superintendent

Incumbent Levi Bachmeier and Tracy Layne Foss will advance to the general election in the race to be North Dakota’s next superintendent of public instruction.

As of late Tuesday night, Bachmeier had received 56% of the vote, and Foss had received 30% of the vote in complete but unofficial results.

A third contender, Republican Charles Tuttle, had received 14% of the vote. The top two candidates move forward to November’s ballot.

The superintendent of public instruction supports North Dakota’s public K-12 system.

Bachmeier and Foss both have backgrounds working in education.

Bachmeier became superintendent of public instruction in fall 2025 after former Superintendent Kirsten Baesler was appointed to the U.S. Department of Education.

Previously, Bachmeier was the business manager for the West Fargo School District. He also worked as an education policy adviser under former Gov. Doug Burgum. Bachmeier began his career as a high school social studies teacher.