WAHPETON, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Braden Li of Fargo has been elected Governor of North Dakota Boys State, a gathering of 68 participants this week on the North Dakota State College of Science campus in Wahpeton. Sponsored by the American Legion and running from June 8-13, 2025, North Dakota Boys State brings together outstanding young men between their junior and senior years in high school. Selected from schools across North Dakota, these delegates come to the NDSCS campus for a week of activities focusing on leadership and government.
At North Dakota Boys State, delegates engage in hands-on learning activities, including city and county government functions, disaster simulation exercises, and the production of daily broadcast media that is created and edited by delegates. This “learning by doing” process is complemented by speeches and debates from visiting dignitaries, providing delegates with a comprehensive understanding of governmental operations.
In addition to electing a governor, delegates also elected the following state officeholders: Lieutenant Governor Zuan Park, Fargo; Secretary of State Hunter Boelke, Wahpeton; Attorney General Nicolas Sanford, Bismarck; State Treasurer Levi Bowman, Jamestown; and Agriculture Commissioner Dane Hansen, Coleharbor.
NDSCS has been the host of Boys State for the last 33 years. Esteemed visitors to the program include North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong; The Hon. Douglas Bahr, North Dakota Supreme Court Justice; Joel Heitkamp, talk radio host; Joe Wiegand, political consultant and Theodore Roosevelt impersonator; and Breanna Koval, Director of Wiklin County Emergency Management.
