BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong and his campaign fund have given about $430,000 in support to Republican statewide and legislative candidates this year, more than one-quarter of which went to one state officeholder he appointed.
The full scope of Armstrong’s political spending became clearer after a Friday deadline for candidates to file pre-general election campaign finance reports with the secretary of state.
Some Republican lawmakers and candidates criticized Armstrong’s donations earlier this year as unlawful and improper influence – a criticism also lobbed at former Gov. Doug Burgum’s millions of dollars in political spending in GOP primaries in 2020 and 2022. Armstrong has said he gives money directly to candidates who then decide how to run their campaigns, no strings attached.
“The slate of candidates I have endorsed and financially supported are focused on results-driven policies for our state,” Armstrong said in a statement this week.
Monetary and in-kind contributions from Armstrong and his campaign coffers total $430,473 this year, including $140,000 since the June primary, according to a North Dakota Monitor analysis of filings as of Wednesday.
The in-kind support was for Armstrong’s endorsement videos and film costs in connection with the primary election, he said.
In an emailed response to Monitor questions, Armstrong said he’s “proud to support these candidates” who want to “lower property taxes, grow our economy, and reduce government spending.
“We are also supporting statewide and other legislative candidates in the fall that did not have competitive primaries. We are working hard all across the board to get Republicans elected this November,” the governor said.
Recipients include more than two dozen legislative candidates around the state, incumbents and newcomers. Armstrong gave as much as $10,000 single donations to some of those candidates.
In May, he said the money is campaign funds he raised “from a lot of North Dakotans,” not his personal wealth.
Sen. Jeff Magrum, R-Hazelton, said Armstrong’s donations violate the state constitution because of improper influence. He said the governor will have the votes to kill any bill he doesn’t like.
Armstrong knows the Republican circles in North Dakota and who he can work with in the Legislature and who will be difficult, said Mark Jendrysik, a professor of political science and public administration at the University of North Dakota.
“The governor is acting in a totally rational manner to try to increase the number of people who are willing to support his agenda in the Legislature,” Jendrysik said.
Four candidates Armstrong is supporting are the subject of a North Dakota Supreme Court case challenging their eligibility. The case alleges incomplete petition information the secretary of state’s office was allowed to be corrected while other candidates or groups were rejected, according to the challengers, who include two Republicans who lost their primaries to three of the candidates.
Armstrong is supporting at least five statewide officeholders: Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, Secretary of State Michael Howe, State Superintendent Levi Bachmeier and Public Service Commissioners Sheri Haugen-Hoffart and Jill Kringstad.
Armstrong appointed Kringstad and Bachmeier to their positions last year. They must win in November to continue serving.
Kringstad has received more than $125,000 in monetary and in-kind support from Armstrong – the most of any candidate he has helped – including his single largest monetary donation of $90,000, made shortly after the June primary, according to filings. Kringstad is running against former Democratic state lawmaker Scot Kelsh in November.
“I appointed Jill. She was a first-time candidate in a competitive primary. She is doing a great job, and we were happy to support her,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong gave Bachmeier a $25,000 donation and $5,450 of in-kind support, according to filings.
Armstrong’s contributions fall far short of Burgum’s millions, but in the context of North Dakota, $430,000 can be a fair amount, Jendrysik said. For legislative races, it might be enough for more mailers, signs and campaign help, he said.
“This could be very effective. It could be enough to really help someone run a more visible, successful campaign,” he said.
Seventy-five of 141 seats in the Legislature are on the ballot this fall. Republicans control the House 83-11 and the Senate 42-5.
Absentee voting began in late September. More than 8,300 ballots had been cast as of Wednesday morning.
The general election is unlikely to have any surprises given North Dakota’s Republican dominance, Jendrysik said.
“Since we’re a one-party state, what’s most important is the factional division inside the Republicans,” Jendrysik said. “There’s certainly a number of different divisions and factions within the Republican Party, and I’m sure the governor wants to get support for his particular positions and his faction of the party.”
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