The Rundown

Here is a rundown of what you might have missed in North Dakota politics this week sprinkled with a dash of sarcasm. Consider it a cheat sheet for tonight’s happy hour discussion. Cheers to the weekend. If you’d like to submit a moment from the week, click here!

The Weekend

On Saturday, word began to circulate that former State Senator Mac Schneider was considering a Congressional run. We broke the story right here on ND xPlains.

Monday

Republican legislators released a bill draft that would create a low-interest loan program from the Legacy Fund. Senator David Hogue and Rep. Roscoe Streyle sponsored the draft that would use up to 15% of the principal of the Legacy Fund for infrastructure projects across the state. This is an interesting idea and one that should be considered in 2019.

Tuesday

Mac Schneider officially announced he would seek the Dem-NPL nomination for Congress. Schneider is a strong candidate and serious contender who has the ability to raise the money needed to be competitive. He joins State Senator John Grabinger and former Rep. Ben Hanson in the contest for the Democratic endorsement.

Also on Tuesday, former NDGOP chair and short-time U.S. Senate candidate Gary Emineth asked for District 35’s Republican endorsement for the State Senate. If the district looks past his head shaking missteps in the past, he’ll challenge Senator Erin Oban who is the only Democrat elected west of the Turtle Mountains.

Wednesday

A porn star sued the President of the United States.

Thursday

Yet another poll came out on the U.S. Senate race in North Dakota. Axios partnered with Survey Monkey to conduct the poll. It paired Heidi Heitkamp against a generic Republican and had her trailing 47-49. I‘ve written before about critiquing these polls and their techniques so let’s do it right here, right now. Survey Monkey is an online tool for people and organizations to conduct surveys. The problem is, the sample is restricted to people who have taken other Survey Monkey surveys and agreed to do more. In a small state like North Dakota, this can be problematic. Either way, this poll confirms yet again the race is very tight.

President Trump moved forward on imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum. 25% and 10% respectively. Canada and Mexico are exempt indefinitely. North Dakota would be the 10th most negatively impacted by this tariff.

Friday

U.S Ag Secretary Sunny Perdue makes a stop in North Dakota. Unlike Scott Pruitt who cowered at the thought of talking to the public and media, Perdue is making the rounds and will be at NDSU. His visit is very timely given the Farm Bill debate and a growing fear of a trade war.