DEVELOPING: President of Ad Agency Rumored to be Considering Leave of Absence to run Cramer’s Campaign

Advertising circles in North Dakota are abuzz with rumors that Pat Finken, President of Odney Advertising, may be considering a leave of absence from the firm to run Kevin Cramer’s Senate campaign against Heidi Heitkamp. Sources with advertising firms in the state reached out to ND xPlains upon hearing the possible development. If true, the move would add yet another layer in the long overlapping relationship between Finken and Republican politicians in the state.

In November of last year alone, we reported on two instances of Finken’s involvement with Republican politicians. The first was the revelation that he crafted the politically correct statement used by Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger for press purposes following his arrest for DUI. We revealed this fact from an open record request. After our post, other outlets asked Finken who paid for the statement. He claimed, “he personally wrote the statement as a favor to a “family friend” rather than an agency project.”

The second November instance was when Finken joined Ron Ness and the ND Petroleum Council in hosting a fundraiser for House Majority Leader Al Carlson. People familiar with the fundraiser claim it was very successful in raising a large chunk of cash for Carlson. The rumored amount varies with estimates in the upper tens of thousands. We’ve been unable to verify an exact amount raised.

The possibility of this move isn’t a stretch. Cramer is a former state Republican Party Chair and State Tourism Director. Both have been very lucrative clients of Finken’s in the past.

This is a developing story. Check back for more details when they become available.