You’ve probably seen it. Josh Duhamel, Minot’s own, warning you that out-of-state special interests are coming to rewrite our constitution. His line is that we shouldn’t let anyone “California our North Dakota.”
Catchy. Effective, even.
Now ask the obvious question. Who paid for that ad?
You won’t find the answer. That’s the point.
Who is StrongND?
The ads come from the StrongND Fund, a Bismarck-based 501(c)(4) tied to Gov. Kelly Armstrong. The governor has said publicly he supports the ads. As of Oct. 5, StrongND had spent more than $977,000 pushing Measure 1.
Here’s the thing about a 501(c)(4). Under the tax code, it doesn’t have to tell you who its donors are. Candidates have to. A PAC has to. A ballot measure committee has to. StrongND doesn’t, and it hasn’t. That’s by design.
So North Dakotans are being asked by politicians to permanently change how we amend our own constitution, and the people bankrolling the pitch get to stay in the dark.
What Measure 1 actually does
Measure 1 came from the Legislature, not from you. It would require 60% of the vote to pass any future constitutional amendment. Right now it takes a simple majority.
And here’s a detail worth sitting with. Measure 1 itself only needs a simple majority to pass. Fifty percent plus one is good enough for them. It just won’t be good enough for you next time.
Why? They’re Angry at you
In 2018, voters passed the anti-corruption amendment that created the Ethics Commission with about 54% of the vote. That amendment wrote into our constitution that voters have a right to know the ultimate and true source of money spent to influence our elections among other ethical standards of public officials. Lawmakers and lobbyists didn’t like it. Turns out, the Ethics Commission has found unethical behavior a time or two in Bismarck.
And now it appears they’ve found a loophole with StrongND when it comes to campaign finance.
In 2022, voters passed legislative term limits with 63% of the vote. Lawmakers really didn’t like that.
So in 2025, the Legislature tried to loosen term limits anyway, even though the amendment voters passed specifically bars them from doing it. In June, the North Dakota Supreme Court threw that measure off the ballot as unconstitutional.
Term limits passed with 63%. That clears 60%. The Ethics Commission passed with about 54%. Under Measure 1, it would have failed. No Ethics Commission.
So who’s writing the checks?
StrongND’s entire message is about money from outside North Dakota. Out-of-state special interests. Out-of-state liberals. Spending big to change our state.
And to be fair, the No side is getting outside money. The Fairness Project, a group based in Washington, D.C., had spent nearly $1.3 million against Measure 1 as of Oct. 5.
But notice something. We know that. Their contributions are reported. You can look it up. You can decide for yourself what to think about it.
You can’t do that with StrongND.
So there are really only two possibilities.
One: StrongND’s money is coming from out of state. Which would make the whole “Don’t California our North Dakota” campaign the most expensive bit of hypocrisy on the ballot this year.
Two: The money is coming from inside North Dakota. From politicians, lobbyists, and the special interest groups who work the Capitol every session. The same folks who’ve been frustrated by term limits and the Ethics Commission.
Remember who lined up against the Ethics Commission in 2018? The North Dakota Petroleum Council, the Lignite Energy Council, the Western Dakota Energy Association, and the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers, among others. I’m not saying they’re writing StrongND’s checks. I’m saying we don’t know. And that’s the problem.
If it is the Capitol crowd or “the good old boys network”, they’d rather you not know they’re the ones paying to make your vote count for less.
Neither one looks great for StrongND. That’s probably why they refuse to tell us.
The easy fix
If StrongND believes in this measure, if the governor believes in this measure, then disclose. Publish the donors. All of them. Every penny. Let North Dakotans see who’s behind the ads and judge the argument with all the facts.
That’s not a radical idea. It’s literally what North Dakota voters put in the constitution in 2018.
So here’s my challenge to StrongND. You want us to trust you with our constitution? Start by trusting us with your donor list.
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