North Dakota U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak
BISMARCK (KFGO) – The Associated Press has declared Julie Fedorchak as the winner in the heated battle for the Republican nomination for North Dakota’s US House seat.
The Public Service Commissioner beat out State Representative and plastic surgeon Rick Becker, former Miss America and Bismarck Attorney Cara Mund, and Republican-endorsed candidate Alex Balazs.
Fedorchak won with 45.93% of the votes. Becker came in second with 29.57%, Mund garnered 19.53%, and Balazs got 4%.
Earlier in the day, a fake text message was distributed, claiming Fedorchak had withdrawn from the GOP primary. Fedorchak called the message “a desperate tactic to influence and discourage voters.”
“Fair elections are a cornerstone of our democracy,” Fedorchak said. “This is insulting, and a real disservice to North Dakota voters. Behavior like this is absolutely wrong for anyone seeking office at any level, much less one of the highest offices in our state.”
Fedorchak says she doesn’t know who sent the fake message and hasn’t asked her fellow candidates. She says the act is at minimum election fraud, and could be criminal. Her campaign is filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission to investigate the matter.
Balazs, Becker and Mohr said they were not behind the messages, and Mund said via Facebook that she did not authorize anyone to “spam” cell phones. A spokeswoman for the state Democratic-NPL Party also denounced the messages.
The race for the Republican nomination was marked by smear campaigning, with candidates resorting to mudslinging each other in a series of TV and radio ads.
Fedorchak will now face Democrat Trygve Hammer in the November election. The winner of that race will represent North Dakota in the US House of Representatives.
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