A Republican State Representative from Minot has filed petitions to run for the State Senate – as an independent.
Andrew Maragos has served in the House from 1993 to 2005, and returned to the House in the 2011 session. He was defeated for the GOP nomination in the June primary.
"Those people who have supported me in the past, and liked the way I represented them, asked me to continue," Maragos said. "When people that have supported you ask you to do something for them after all those years of doing something for you, you don't say 'no.'"
By state law, Maragos could not run for his House seat.
"So the only office available to me is the office of state Senate," Maragos said.
If the Secretary of State’s office determines he has enough valid signatures, he will be on the ballot as an independent. Maragos will challenge incumbent Republican Ole Larson and Democrat Joey Nesdahl for the Senate seat.