North Dakota Republican incumbents join Fedorchak for candidate tour

FARGO — North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe gave people attending a rally of Republican candidates some homework.

“Homework, guys, find 10 people to go vote,” Howe said Friday after noting that voter turnout for the June primary in North Dakota is usually about 22%.  

Howe was speaking to a rally at Brewhalla in Fargo and pointed out that early in-person voting starts Tuesday in Fargo and several other communities for the June 9 primary election. 

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The stop was part of a statewide tour of Republican incumbent office holders, none of whom sought the endorsement of the state Republican Party. More stops were planned during the rest of the weekend and again the following weekend. 

The tour is headlined by U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, who is being challenged in the June primary by party-endorsed candidate Alex Balazs. Fedorchak has the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

Fedorchak is serving her first term in Congress, which will be in session the next two weeks, limiting her in-state campaigning to the weekends. It also means she will be in Washington on Election Day. 

She espoused conservative values – faith, frugality, hard work and peace through strength – to the crowd of mostly supporters. 

“We have to get behind this president,” Fedorchak said. “We have to get behind the folks leading the conservative values and trying to implement these with strong conservative solutions for our country.” 

One Republican attendee who was not supportive of Fedorchak was Tim Leppert of Edgeley. 

“I’m not supporting the establishment Republicans,” Leppert said. “The people in charge in our state, other interests are influencing them against their own voters and against their own citizens.”

People were asked to preregister for the event through Fedorchak’s campaign. Only then was the location of the rally provided. 

“It’s not well advertised,” Leppert said. 

Fedorchak said the preregistration was a security step. 

“It’s not 100%, but it’s just one of those security steps that folks in the security world recommend you do,” she said. 

The tour, which also hit Valley City and Hillsboro on Friday, continues Saturday in Devils Lake, Harvey and Jamestown. The following weekend will include Minot, Stanley, Williston, Watford City and Dickinson. 

Other Republican office-holders facing in-party challenges on Election Day include Sheri Haugen-Hoffart and Jill Kringstad for seats on the Public Service Commission. The Republican Party endorsed Deven Styczynski for the seat held by Haugen-Hoffart. Chris Olson is running against Kringstad, but did not file for the GOP endorsement before the party’s deadline. 

There are three candidates for superintendent of schools, which is a nonpartisan race on the ballot. Incumbent Levi Bachmeier faces Tracy Layne Foss, who has the support of the Democratic-NPL Party and Charles Tuttle. 

Tuttle participated in the Republican state convention but did not seek a letter of support from the party. Bachmeier, appointed last year by Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong, skipped the convention, as did the other Republican incumbents. 

Bachmeier was more specific in his homework assignment. He told people to ask their contacts if they have a plan to vote, whether absentee, early voting or on Election Day.

“If they have a plan, they will execute the plan almost always,” Bachmeier said. “So our challenge here is to get out our neighbors, get out our friends and vote for the common sense conservative leadership that has made this such a great place.” 

Candidates from the Democratic-NPL Party, where there are no primary challengers for statewide races, had a town hall forum on Thursday in Washburn, with others scheduled before the general election. 

“North Dakotans deserve leaders who aren’t afraid to meet with them and have the hard conversations,” Democratic-NPL Executive Director Cheryl Billler said in a news release. 

Some Democrats have also joined Republican-endorsed candidates for recent candidate forums, including an event in Lincoln. Balazs also has upcoming campaign events, including a town hall in Williston on Monday and events in Fargo Tuesday and Wednesday.

Reach North Dakota Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach at [email protected]