Celebrating a New Generation of Leadership in North Dakota

Amidst a snowy April Fool’s Day in Bismarck, North Dakota became the 36th state to join the State Future Caucus Network — welcome to the North Dakota Future Caucus! 

The newly launched chapter will be led by a dynamic, bipartisan team of young legislators from both chambers: Representative Dawson Holle (R), Representative Jayme Davis (D), Senator Claire Cory (R), and Senator Ryan Braunberger (D). Standing together at the launch, they didn’t just announce the formation of the North Dakota Future Caucus — they shared a bold, collective vision for a stronger, more united future for their state. It wasn’t just a milestone for North Dakota — it was a vision of what’s possible for America.

At a press conference, Rep. Holle shared with a room of reporters, “In North Dakota’s future, I know that our greatest strength comes from working together, not against each other. Too often, ideas are judged not on their merit, but on who proposed them. That is not leadership. That is not service, and that is not what North Dakotans expect or deserve.”

Rep. Holle, Rep. Davis, and Sen. Cory are all 2025-2026 Innovation Fellows. After attending the Futures Thinking Forum in November, being exposed to lawmakers from across the country who are putting people over politics, they committed themselves to bringing the same efforts to North Dakota.

Rep. Davis says that the North Dakota Future Caucus is, “about building relationships across the aisle. We don’t have to agree on everything to agree that North Dakota’s future is worth working for.”

With just a month left in their legislative session and a biennial legislature, the North Dakota Future Caucus is already looking ahead. During the interim, these young lawmakers plan to use the off-session period to build trust, strengthen relationships, and lay the foundation for real collaboration. Their goal: to create space for honest dialogue on issues that shouldn’t be partisan, from supporting Indigenous communities to building real solutions for agriculture and artificial intelligence — issues that matter deeply to North Dakotans.

Alongside Bismarck’s view of the Missouri River, we gathered at Huckleberry House to celebrate this powerful moment. Watching these young lawmakers step up with courage and clarity is a reminder that our mission is not only resonating — it’s taking root across the country, state by state.

And the North Dakota Future Caucus’ leadership is full of young trailblazers — Rep. Holle, who was elected in 2022 to the North Dakota House of Representatives at only 18, is the youngest lawmaker ever elected to the North Dakota legislature. In 2020, at age 21, Sen. Cory was first elected to the North Dakota House before transitioning to the Senate, making her the youngest woman ever elected to the state’s legislature.  

Their leadership is proof that age doesn’t define impact — vision and service do.

The next generation isn’t waiting for permission to lead. They’re already doing it — with integrity, with imagination, and with a deep belief in what’s possible when we choose unity over division.

The future is no joke — and it’s already taking shape in North Dakota.