Congresswoman-elect Julie Fedorchak speaks during a farewell event in Memorial Hall at the Capitol in Bismarck on Dec. 19, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
By: Michael Achterling
MINOT, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota Republican office-holders confirmed Monday they are not seeking the party’s endorsement at the state convention later this month, the latest sign of a split in the party.
U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, who withdrew from consideration at the NDGOP convention two years ago amid a chaotic voting process, is among incumbents who said they’re skipping the convention and seeking support in the June primary.
“I’m focusing the bulk of my time doing the hard work North Dakotans elected me to do,” Fedorchak said in a statement.
Attorney General Drew Wrigley, who received the Republican Party’s endorsement in 2022, said many attendees at district meetings indicated they didn’t plan to participate in the state convention this year, citing concerns about the process in 2024.
“There was a lot of frustration with a lot of delegates that walked out of that convention and feeling like that wasn’t a process that they wanted to be a part of again,” Wrigley said. “We’re saying, ‘Let’s give all Republican voters an opportunity to go out and select our slate of candidates.’”
The party has seen a growing divide as some elected officials distance themselves from what they see as right-wing activists controlling the endorsement process. The NDGOP had a Sunday filing deadline for candidates seeking the endorsement at its convention March 28-29 in Minot. Several other statewide candidates confirmed to the Monitor on Monday they are skipping the convention.
Bob Harms, a former NDGOP state party chair, said this year will be the first time that no statewide incumbent Republicans have sought the party’s endorsement at its state convention in at least 40 years.
“I’ve been to every convention since 1988, and this will be the first time,” said Harms, who worked his first campaign in 1986. “It is absolutely unprecedented. It has never happened.”
NDGOP Chair Matt Simon, narrowly elected last year in a split vote, said he was in meetings Monday and unavailable for comment. Other state party officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Secretary of State Michael Howe received the party’s endorsement four years ago but said Monday he’s going straight to the June primary. He said he’s expecting a low turnout at the state convention, based on feedback from district meetings.
“It was clear that there wasn’t much interest in attending the state convention, so I’m going to go to the primary election and seek the nomination there,” Howe said.
Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus and Public Service Commission candidates Sheri Haugen-Hoffart and Jill Kringstad also said they are skipping the convention.
“I’ve been on the road meeting with many Republicans across the state,” Kringstad said Monday. “That will continue to be my focus: earning the support of Republicans in the June primary and our entire state in the November general election.”
Deven Styczynski of Enderlin will seek the Republican Party endorsement at the state convention for the seat held by Haugen-Hoffart, a six-year term.
Styczynski had previously announced a run for a spot on the three-person PSC, but had not declared which of the two seats on this year’s ballot that he would seek.
Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring also confirmed that he would skip the convention and lamented that there was “too much back-biting and infighting” within the party.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Levi Bachmeier, a Republican, said in a statement to the Monitor on Monday he will not seek a letter of support from the party. The position is nonpartisan, but candidates can seek support from a party.
Two years ago, delegates at the state convention voted to give a letter of support to Jim Bartlett for state school superintendent, who advocated for the Ten Commandments in public schools. Incumbent Kirsten Baesler overwhelmingly won in the June primary without the party’s support, with Bartlett coming in third. Baesler resigned last year, putting the position back on the ballot this year.
The party also endorsed Republican Alex Balazs for U.S. House in 2024 after Fedorchak withdrew. Fedorchak won decisively in the June primary, with Balazs placing fourth out of five candidates.
Balazs said he’s again seeking the Republican endorsement for U.S. House to take on Fedorchak.
“I think participation matters,” Balazs said on Monday. “They are going to miss a heck of a convention.”
Other than Balazs and Styczynski, no other Republican candidates have announced campaigns for statewide office, though it’s possible additional people applied by the Sunday deadline. NDGOP leaders plan to have a news conference about the state convention on Tuesday.
Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong will not be attending the NDGOP state convention and will instead participate in a friend’s wedding, according to a governor’s office spokesperson. The party did not consult Armstrong when setting dates for the event, the spokesperson said.
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