Fedorchak wins North Dakota House primary over NDGOP-endorsed challenger

Republican U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak will defend her seat in the general election after defeating NDGOP-endorsed challenger Alex Balazs in the statewide primary Tuesday.

Fedorchak received 73% of the Republican primary vote in complete but unofficial results, according to the Secretary of State’s website. She will take on Democratic-NPL U.S. House candidate Trygve Hammer in November, a rematch from two years ago when Fedorchak defeated Hammer with 69% of the vote.

Fedorchak was endorsed by President Donald Trump last August in her reelection bid.

She touted the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, her support for increased funding for the Department of Homeland Security and cutting green energy mandates as major victories for North Dakotans during her first term.

“I’m just grateful for the strong support from North Dakota Republicans statewide and really excited to continue working to earn the vote of even more North Dakotans in the general election in November,” Fedorchak said in a phone interview Tuesday night while watching results from Washington, D.C.

She said she continues to support Republican principles and invited supporters of Balazs to join her team to work together to advance solutions for the state and nation.

“I am a conservative voice for North Dakotans, advocating for conservative solutions to our nation’s biggest challenges,” Fedorchak said.

Fedorchak said she’ll continue traveling across the state to talk with constituents about the benefits of Republican policies that were passed during her first term. She plans to continue holding in-person events over the summer that require pre-event registration due to security concerns.

While she said she doesn’t want to take anything for granted, Fedorchak said she is not worried about a swing of new Democratic-NPL voters in November. 

“I do not think that North Dakotans will respond to the agenda that Trygve Hammer and the Democratic Party represent for our country,” she said. Fedorchak added she plans to debate Hammer during the general election campaign. She declined to debate Balazs during the primary.

Balazs, a military veteran, was critical of Fedorchak deciding not to hold in-person town halls during her first term in office. Fedorchak held a series of virtual forums with North Dakotans, events she said allowed more people to participate in the events.

“I would have much rather won, but the reality is that we ran a good race,” Balazs said in an interview Tuesday night. “North Dakota made its choice and we gotta work through it.”

Balazs commended his supporters for their hard work during the campaign. He said he hopes they will continue to support the Republican party and its candidates in November.

“I think we should consolidate the party and the party should stick together and support (Fedorchak) going forward,” he said. “We ran with different goals and different objectives … but we’re still part of the same party.”

Fedorchak and other Republican statewide incumbents skipped the NDGOP endorsing convention in Minot this year and instead submitted signatures to gain ballot access in the Republican primary.

Fedorchak served for 12 years on the North Dakota Public Service Commission after being appointed by former Gov. Jack Dalrymple in 2012. She previously served as a spokesperson for former Gov. Ed Schafer and as a state director for Sen. John Hoeven.

If reelected, Fedorchak will serve a two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives with an annual salary of $174,000 per year.

This has been updated with comments from Julie Fedorchak and Alex Balazs and complete results.

North Dakota Monitor reporter Michael Achterling can be reached at [email protected].