The preliminary results of the June election show it was a big night for Doug Burgum. The NDGOP Governor poured nearly $2 million of his own money into the getting candidates closer aligned to himself. If the current results hold, and odds are they will – Burgum’s investment may have changed how ND politics is conducted.

Dramatic? Perhaps. So is a wealthy Governor personally buying legislative seats to get his way with public dollars. This could very well impact how business is done in Bismarck. Who wants to publicly disagree with Burgum and be “Delzered?” Stop an initiative and he will just add a couple of zeros to the check mailed to his ad agency. Burgum has promised this type of politics is here to stay in ND. Will his promise be the catalyst to campaign finance reform in ND?

Below are tabs with more information. A couple of result takeaways that stood out to me. Keep in mind, as ballots postmarked June 8th trickle in, results could vary.

NDGOP Treasurer

Thomas Beadle appears to win NDGOP bid for Treasure

Aided by tens of thousands of dollars from the Dakota Leadership PAC, Thomas Beadle appears to have won the NDGOP bid for Treasurer. He will now face Dem-NPL candidate Mark Haugen in November. The result was a top priority for Burgum.

The Treasurers’s race was a proxy battle within the NDGOP. Though the candidates were Thomas Beadle and Daniel Johnston, the fight appeared to be between Doug Burgum and Kevin Cramer. The catalyst was money and amateur photoshop. The winner was going to be the clear leader of the NDGOP in the upcoming election. The question was whether or not it would be Burgum’s money or Donald Trump’s endorsement prompted by Cramer’s begging that prevailed. June’s election proved money speaks in ND. The NDGOP is Burgum’s/

For those hoping for good government, there are now two capable candidates on the ballot for November’s election.

Buying Legislative Seats

Defeating Delzer, Buying Legislative Seats

Doug Burgum and the Dakota Leadership PAC targeted District 8 and a very powerful House member in Jeff Delzer. Delzer was the House Appropriations Chair who butted heads with Burgum’s initiatives. The tensions led to shouting matches and changing of budget rules.

Though it is one targeted race, the precedent sent tremors throughout ND politics. Before the election, former Governor Ed Schafer came to Delzer’s defense on social media and expressed concern with Burgum’s actions. Recall Schafer endorsed Burgum in the contested 2016 NDGOP primary.

Others share Schafer’s concern. A Governor with the personal means to buy legislative seats blurs the separation of powers in Government. The attitude can be summarized as, “Don’t want to vote for my priorities? To hell with ya. I’ll spend my unlimited resources to get you fired in the next election.”

No doubt other politicians are already jockeying themselves to take over the House Appropriations Chair. Will the House Majority Leader select someone to defend the authority of the Legislature? Likely and that will create another contentious legislative session.

District 44

Democrats Secure District 44 Voter Edge

Incumbent Democrats in District 44 earned more votes than the NDGOP candidates. As best I can tell, it is the only legislative district in the state in which the Dem-NPL turnout exceeded the NDGOP. Though it doesn’t impact much as of now, it does show the Dem-NPL is organized and active in North Fargo. Coupled with the lack of NDGOP competition in the House and a cash advantage, they are positioned well heading into November.

Cass Cans Carlson

Carlson turned away from Cass County Commission

Former House Majority Leader Al Carlson came in a distant third in his bid for Cass County Commission. Carlson’s campaign was aided by the “Brighter Future Alliance” of which Pat Finken is chair. This loss follows his defeat for reelection in 2018. Carlson has made it known if the right opportunity presents itself, he will run for office again.

Hanson v. Hanson

Fargo Approval Voting

Fargo’s Approval Voting

For the first time, Fargo’s city race was conducted with approval voting. Voters were able to vote for every candidate they approved. The top two would win. That change in process was approved by voters in the last election. As of now, two progressive candidates won in John Strand and Arlette Peston. Former NDGOP State Senator and current City Commissioner Tony Grindberg came in the third.

If it holds, the election of Preston and Strand comes at an important time in Fargo. The two have been willing to engage with members of the Blake Lives Matter and OneFargo organizations to find ways to collaborate and make change in the city. Additionally, Fargo Police Chief Dave Todd is retiring this summer. Strand and Preston will now have an active role in determining Todd’s replacement.

Two progressives and two conservatives. The two conservatives don’t get along. Mayor Tim Mahoney finds himself right in the middle.

Vote By Mail

North Dakota Embraced Vote by Mail

Turnout for the June election was the highest it had been since 2012. As of now, 153,933 ballots were cast. Reports show there are still thousands of ballots that had been sent to voters. Some of them may have been postmarked by June 8th and can still be counted in the June 15th canvassing board meeting. It is possible that could shift some of the results including the ones I’ve highlighted here.

If this was a test for vote by mail, ND passed. Some in political circles and those that desperate for their acceptance in media will continue to lie and find excuses about why voting by mail is terrible. That is because they are scared. Can improvements be made to the process? You bet. NDx looks forward to continuing to push not only the expansion of vote by mail, but ways to make it easier for people to complete the process.

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Tyler Axness

Tyler Axness is the creator of NDx and the radio talk show host of Afternoons Live on KFGO in Fargo weekdays 2-5PM.

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Defeating Delzer, Buying Legislative Seats

Democrats Secure District 44 Voter Edge

Carlson turned away from Cass County Commission

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Fargo’s Approval Voting

North Dakota Embraced Vote by Mail

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Was It Worth It?

Interesting links

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North Dakota Politics Just Changed

Thomas Beadle appears to win NDGOP bid for Treasure

Interesting links

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