Republican Governor Fred G. Aandahl appointed State Senator Milton Young to fill the vacancy and a special election was scheduled.

Young ran for re-election and narrowly won the Republican nomination at a state party convention against two opponents, including former Senator Gerald Nye.

In the general election, he faced Democratic nominee P. W. "Bill" Lanier, an attorney, and Nye, who was running as an independent following his 1944 loss to Moses and his defeat at the state convention.

Republicans convened in Bismarck for their state convention, the agenda for which included nominating a candidate for the June special election.

[3] Ultimately, Young narrowly won renomination, winning just a handful more delegates than he needed to receive a majority.