John Hoeven (born March 13, 1957) has been the governor of the U.S. state of North Dakota since December 2000. A Republican, he was elected in November 2000, defeating Democrat Heidi Heitkamp by a margin of 55% to 45%.
Hoeven is a banker from Minot, North Dakota. He had no prior political experience before taking office. While Hoeven has been praised for moderate governance and raising teacher salaries, he has also been criticized for inactivity, and for taking credit for ideas first raised by others. Hoeven's governorship has also included a number of high-profile lawsuits brought against the state on everything from water management to hunting licenses to prison abuse.
Hoeven faced Democratic challenger Joe Satrom in the November 2004 election. Hoeven won easily, by a vote of 71%-28%, gaining a second four-year term.
See also: List of Governors of North Dakota
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