Cando man enters as 4th GOP candidate for North Dakota House race

A Cando man added his name to the list of NDGOP candidates seeking North Dakota’s at-large House seat.

Alex Balazs is the fourth Republican candidate to declare for the House race joining former state lawmakers Rick Becker and Tom Campbell and Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak.

“Somebody has got to do this job and I think I’m right for it and I’m ready for it,” Balazs said. 

He said he considers himself a conservative and strong believer in limited government.

Balazs filed his NDGOP state committee signatures and paid his state convention fee on March 8.

He plans to challenge Fedorchak for the Republican endorsement at the NDGOP convention in April. Balazs added he plans to continue to the June 11 statewide primary if he fails to secure the NDGOP endorsement. Becker and Campbell are foregoing the convention and opting to proceed directly to the June 11 primary.

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According to his bio, Balazs served in three branches of the military (Air Force, Navy, Army) from 1978 to 2003, including a position as a survival instructor.

After his military service, Balazs worked for the U.S. State Department as a project manager, which included stations in Bolivia, Holland, Pakistan and Nicaragua. He also speaks fluent Spanish.

In 2003, Balazs took over his grandfather’s farm in Cando and made it his permanent residence with his wife, Cindy, in 2014.

Balazs added he is no stranger to budgets, congressional committees and Washington, D.C., since he did much of that work during his time at the State Department.

“Being a steward of tax dollars, it’s not just about taking your money and spending it,” Balazs said. “It’s about arguing about not spending it.”

He also said his State Department experience is important because whoever becomes the representative from North Dakota needs to be able to get to work right away.

“I can’t tell you how important it is to not walk into Washington on day one and have to spend a year learning Washington,” he said.

When asked how he expects to navigate the current partisan political landscape, he said the most important thing is getting important issues taken care of for the residents of North Dakota.

“It may be tribal and partisan and everything else, but that’s not what the people want,” Balazs said. “People want to see us get the business done.”

Balazs will be holding a meet-and-greet event at the American Legion Post 79 in Cando on March 28.