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Welcome to the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Insider, a newsletter that features regular updates about upcoming Dem-NPL events, legislative happenings, and news that affects North Dakotans!
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Did you know the DNC hosts a morning news show called the Daily Blueprint that is livestreamed on YouTube weekdays at 9 AM CDT? You can watch it live or later on the DNC’s YouTube channel here.
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Fight Gerrymandering in Indiana!
Here is a message from Joe Barbuto, who serves as the Midwest Regional Director of the DNC's Association of State Democratic Committees:
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Mid-decade Republican gerrymandering schemes are frustrating, exhausting, and all too familiar in 2025. State Democratic Parties across the Midwest have been forced into this fight, and every time, our folks have stepped up.
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Like a bad penny, this issue has surfaced yet again in the Hoosier State. The Indiana Legislature is poised to take it up once more next week. Our friends at the Indiana Democratic Party have a dialer live and could use our help to push back.
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Our collective effort can make a real difference.
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And if your state finds itself facing an obstacle, please don’t hesitate to reach out; this network exists so none of us ever have to take these battles on alone. We’ll show up for you the same way.
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We win these fights together.
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Bismarck-Mandan Democratic-NPL Office Opening
1902 East Divide Ave, Bismarck
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The Bismarck -Mandan Democratic-NPL is hosting a office opening! Our focus is clear — affordability. From groceries to healthcare to housing, we’re committed to building a legislative agenda that puts working families first.
Join us on December 7th, 1902 East Divide Ave, 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Everyone is welcome! Refreshments will be served. Bring your family and friends-and a non-perishable food item to support the Bismarck Dream Center's mission to help families in need.
Be part of this joyful step forward. Together, we build community, opportunity, and hope. Lots of parking, Southwest corner of 19th & Divide Ave.
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Cass County Democratic-NPL Policy Meeting
1325 23rd St S, Suite B, Fargo
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Our monthly meeting which includes representatives from the 11 Legislative Districts in Cass County, elected Legislators and staff.
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District 3 Meeting
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District 3 will be meeting at the Blue Rider on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 6pm.
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All Democrats and Nonpartisan Leaguers living in District 3 are welcome.
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District 5 Meeting
Accessible Space Apartments Community room
1425 31st Ave SW, Minot
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District 5 will be meeting at 1425 31st Ave SW in Minot on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 7pm.
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District 5 Dem-NPLers and those wishing to support District 5 Dem-NPLers in the 2026 election will meet at the Accessible Space Apartments Community room on the 3rd floor.
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We have one announced candidate and are seeking two others to join in that effort. If you want to help make North Dakota a better place and send better representation to Bismarck, please join us.
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There will be entry provided until the start of the event. If you arrive afterwards, please message our page, and we will let you in to the building.
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Dickinson Area Democratic-NPL meeting
The Press Box at Players Sports Bar & Grill
2050 1st Ave E., Dickinson
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Districts 37, 36, and 39 meet every second Wednesday after Drinking Liberally!
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Run. Lead. Change Everything.
Ground Round
2800 32nd Ave S. Grand Forks
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The issues can’t wait—affordable groceries, housing, childcare and healthcare; full support for public schools and fair wages—all need action now! Come learn about running for office!
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Join us for conversations with Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan and House Minority Leader Zac Ista!
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Executive Committee Meeting
The Executive Committee Meeting for the State Democratic-NPL Party. Each Third Monday of the Month
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For more information contact Adam Goldwyn at adam.goldwyn@demnpl.com
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District 11 Meeting
1325 23rd St S, Suite B, Fargo
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District 11 Democratic-NPL meets every 3rd Wednesday of the month
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Help us spread our message—share these recent posts!
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“Women’s lives and doctors’ livelihoods are at risk with this law.” Dem-NPL Lawmaker Says after Abortion Ban upheld by 2 of 5 Justices
House Minority Leader Zac Ista (D-Grand Forks) said, “Today is a bad day in North Dakota for women, healthcare, and fundamental rights. Despite four separate judges finding the Republican supermajority’s extreme abortion ban violates our state constitution, that law now goes into effect, risking devastating consequences for patients and providers. But the fight isn’t over, and today must serve as a clear reminder that your rights are on the line in every election for every office on the ballot.”
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Letter: Correcting the record for Rep. Fedorchak
The difference between you and I is not winning and losing, it is that I believe people deserve access to affordable healthcare through government intervention if needed, and you believe unlucky people should be subject to generational market and political failures whatever the risks. But you are not alone in your fatuous thinking as Lyndon B. Johnson said, “Doing the right thing is not the problem. Knowing what the right thing is, that's the challenge."
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Coalition leadership discusses effort to make meals free for all North Dakota students
“Every student in North Dakota would qualify, regardless of family income,” said Robin Nelson.
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Nelson, the chair of the Together for School Meals Coalition, said it would push all schools to maximize federal funding and encourage parents to fill out free and reduced lunch applications.
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The state would pay for what federal dollars wouldn’t cover.
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North Dakota abortion ban deemed constitutional in split opinion from state Supreme Court
Rep. Karla Rose Hanson, D-Fargo, who has sponsored bills promoting reproductive rights, said she was “deeply disappointed” with the decision.
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“My concern remains that women’s lives and doctor’s livelihoods are at risk with this law,” Hanson said. “Abortion bans make it more dangerous to be pregnant because doctors are worried about legal consequences.”
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She pointed out that the rape and incest exceptions are only for the first six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they’re pregnant.
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North Dakota governor sets Jan. 21 as tentative date for special legislative session
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John Bjornson, director of Legislative Council, said the shortest amount of time a special session can last is three days because each chamber cannot vote on the first and second reading of a bill on the same day.
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North Dakota’s Legislature is limited to meeting 80 days every two years. Because Armstrong is calling the special session, Bjornson said the Legislature will retain its six remaining legislative days to use before the 2027 legislative session.
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Jim Shaw joins News and Views
Jim Shaw of the Forum joins News and Views to discuss the decisions made by the Trump Administration on immigrants and immigration.
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Helping Us Understand Illegal Orders and the Responsibility of Enlisted Persons
Dakota Rudesill, Ohio State University, joins Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness to educate us on illegal orders and what is in the uniform military code.
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Letter: In what world is this acceptable?
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Six federal lawmakers who had served in either the military or the intelligence community recently issued an online video reminding the military that they are not obligated to follow unlawful orders. In response, President Trump called their video statement “seditious behavior,” and “punishable by death.” He then added another post, this time under the name of George Washington, suggesting they should be hanged. These are intolerably dangerous threats and for this alone Trump should be impeached and removed from office.
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Think about how threats like these would be handled if they happened in the community where you live.
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Letter: Fedorchak's joke is on us
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Fedorchak and the Republicans are blaming the ACA for rising health care costs. Health care costs have been increasing faster than the rate of inflation for decades, long before the ACA existed. One of the major reasons is, unlike most other developed countries, our system relies on employers to provide health insurance.
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Insurance companies drive up the costs by charging higher premiums and making money by denying as many claims as possible. Insurance companies provide not one cent of actual health care.
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Our country has the most expensive administrative costs because of the insurance industry. We pay more for drugs than any other country thanks to the influence of the pharmacy industry.
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Plain Talk: 'It is like refusing to pay for regular oil changes to save money'
"What we would expect is that probably healthy people will be the first people to drop coverage. So, those younger individuals, those people without current chronic conditions," she said. This would mean that "our risk pool's going to get sicker, and so the costs are going to go up for everybody."
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Letter: If you want chaos, break up the Department of Education
Under the plan, the Department of Labor would take over K–12 programs, Interior would run Indian Education, HHS would handle child-care programs, the State Department would manage international education and student loans are already split between SBA and HHS.
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In rural districts, where one person often manages federal programs, special education, transportation and food service, this kind of fragmentation will hit hard. Instead of calling one agency for help, schools will now have to navigate three or four — each with different rules, priorities and timelines.
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And let’s be honest: the money will not follow quickly. Transitions like this always delay guidance, slow down grants and leave districts waiting for answers.
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The students who will feel it first are the ones who rely most on federal stability: children with disabilities, Native students, English learners and low-income students. These services cannot survive a period of bureaucratic uncertainty.
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'We call this place home': Fargo-Moorhead Somalis respond to Trump
"They come here as refugees, the majority of them, and they are carrying trauma, and that when the highest level of the government calls names and dehumanizes them, it hurts all of us," said Ahmed Makaraan, executive director of the Ethnic Self-Help Alliance for Refugee Assistance, which has offices in Fargo and Moorhead.
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Adde added that a few bad actors do not represent the community. "I hope nobody judges all Somali community the same, because there are great people within our community who have worked hard in this town," she said.
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Ballot measure effort seeks to provide free school meals to North Dakota students
Advocacy organization Together For School Meals plans to submit language for a potential ballot petition that would provide free school meals to North Dakota students. Joel Heitkamp is joined on "News and Views" by Robin Nelson, chair of the ballot petition’s sponsoring committee, and Amy Jacobson, executive director of Prairie Action ND and member of the coalition.
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Democrats to hold district meetings Dec. 9
District 3 and 5 Democratic-NPL meetings will be held in Minot Tuesday, Dec. 9.
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‘The question our communities need to solve’
Eviction judgments on tenant credit reports often lead to difficulty securing housing and in some cases can lead to a downward spiral of housing insecurity, employment and health issues.
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A new state law passed in March gives tenants the right to seal eviction records, but only after all judgments are satisfied and only seven years after a case.
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A severe shortage of affordable rental units statewide exacerbates these issues. Home costs have risen by around 19% in North Dakota since 2020, and rental rates are around 39% higher, according to data from Zillow.
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“Some of the answer to homelessness is simply having available housing, and housing that is affordable and attainable,” Henderson said. “Really, it means having enough housing available that everybody has an opportunity to access it.”
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The LSC reports 38.4% of renters in the state are “rent burdened,” meaning more than 30% of a household’s gross income goes toward housing costs, including rent and utilities.
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“It just says a lot about the levels of precarity about people’s housing situations, and there’s no county in North Dakota that’s not touched by eviction or housing instability,” Esslinger said.
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North Dakota on track to be first in nation with 100% broadband internet access
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North Dakota is on schedule to have high-speed internet access in 100% of the state by 2028 thanks to recently approved federal funding.
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The state expects to receive $6 million from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, a $42 billion initiative included in the infrastructure bill passed under the Biden administration. The funding will be awarded to a pair of local internet carriers, BEK and Midco, to install fiber connections to the last 279 locations in the state without access to high-speed internet.
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Ballot measure effort seeks to provide free school meals to North Dakota students
Amy Jacobson, executive director of Prairie Action ND and member of the coalition, said when kids are fed, they are more productive in the classroom.
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“This is something that will directly impact a family’s ability to have more money in their pocket book and be able to spend that on other necessary needs that they do have,” Jacobson said. “There is nothing better that North Dakotans could be investing in than our future, and that is our children.”
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Port: Once again, North Dakota must protect itself from the Trump administration
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Trump's policies and actions, from the trade wars to the petty and stupid things he says about our trading partners, have inhibited access to vital markets even as they've driven up the cost of operating. The American Relief Act of 2025 and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act both included significant relief directed for farmers and ranchers, but it's not been enough to offset the chaos Trump has sown.
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"Even after including this ad hoc support along with support from crop insurance, returns above total costs are estimated to remain negative from the 2023/24 through 2025/26 crop years at -$9 billion, -$17 billion and -$28 billion, respectively," says a Nov. 24 post from the American Farm Bureau Federation headlined, "Farmers Urgently Need Economic Assistance."
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"The farm bill and OBBBA enhancements to the farm bill will come in fiscal years 2026 and 2027, but until that support arrives, farmers across the U.S. are left with accumulated losses that are currently estimated in excess of $50 billion over the last three crop years," the post continues.
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Input costs are significantly outpacing crop prices, and it's driving farmers out of business. In the first six months of 2025, farm bankruptcies were up 57% over 2024. By the mid-point of this year, there were already more farm bankruptcies than in all of 2022 or 2023.
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Letter: Gov. Armstrong is redefining autocracy
Just when you think we might be emerging from some form of super majority arrogance, we have Gov. Kelly Armstrong redefining autocracy in the worst of ways.
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The ND Ethics Commission was established by the vote of the people. Appointments to the commission are made by a committee of three which includes the governor. Murray Sagsveen, a highly respected attorney, was appointed to fill out the remainder of a term. His term was up and a reappointment was necessary. Sagsveen indicated he was interested in continuing to serve. Two of the three members of the appointing committee, who represent both sides of the aisle, voted to reappoint Sagsveen, one of them indicating that Sagsveen was his top choice. The governor refused to reappoint Sagsveen. His reasons are weak if existent at all.
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Again, Fedorchak misses the mark: Big Insurance is the problem
In her recent column mocking the Affordable Care Act, Rep. Julie Fedorchak got one thing (and only one thing) right: “Clearly, we need an off ramp from these massive payouts to insurance companies.”
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But any changes she advocated would still leave the for-profit insurance monstrosity wielding life/death power over us all! Nothing would improve for worried consumers who are, indeed, “fed up with” the existing insurance-dictated scheme.
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Federal disaster aid heading to North Dakota, but some funding denied
Hazard mitigation funding can be used to pay for things as wide ranging as flood control infrastructure, weather warning sirens and storm shelters, Hanson said.
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“Some of these are relatively small projects, but they can make a big difference,” he said.
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Letter: A crisis is rising in rural America
I also watched the PBS ag market broadcast from Iowa. Part of the discussion was on the national banking association stating that 20% of farmers and ranchers are “under water” and not profitable operations.
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There is a crisis building in rural America to go along with affordability in all of America.
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Letter: Liberty at stake under Trump administration
Beef Ranchers were enjoying profitable times until Bull Fry Don had his Argentinian East Wing Pitch Fork Fondue. The minimal impact of importing limited Argentinian beef was nothing except to those thieves trading paper and another Domino Don Disaster. Julie's Free Market/Free trade strategy is so destructive.
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Check out these messages from national Democrats
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If This Tactic Works, Democracy Is Screwed
Tim Miller joins Nicolle Wallace on Deadline: White House (MSNOW) to break down the escalating pressure campaign in Indiana, the broader redistricting battles, the stakes in the Tennessee special election, and the latest hardline moves on immigration coming from Trump’s orbit.
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Medicare’s new AI experiment sparks alarm among doctors, lawmakers
A Medicare pilot program will allow private companies to use artificial intelligence to review older Americans’ requests for certain medical care — and will reward the companies when they deny it.
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In January, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will launch the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model to test AI-powered prior authorizations on certain health services for Medicare patients in six states: Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington. The program is scheduled to last through 2031.
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The program effectively inserts one of private insurance’s most unpopular features — prior authorization — into traditional Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older and those with certain disabilities. Prior authorization is the process by which patients and doctors must ask health insurers to approve medical procedures or drugs before proceeding.
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Nicolle Wallace on Pete Hegseth: ‘How much more embarrassment is Donald Trump going to tolerate?’
Shane Harris, National Security and Intel Reporter for The Atlantic joins Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House to discuss the latest scandal engulfing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with the Inspector General of the building that he runs, The Pentagon set to issue a report that Hegseth's conduct in the 'Signal-gate' controversy put the lives of American service members at risk.
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‘500 tons of cocaine’: Trump pardons trafficker who helped flood U.S. with drugs
Chris Hayes on the pardon of ex- Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández: Trump keeps justifying the killing of more than 80 men on boats in the Caribbean as a way to save Americans from drugs, but just this week he pardoned a man who helped traffic more than 500 tons of cocaine into the U.S.
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1 in 4 Affordable Care Act enrollees would 'very likely' forego health insurance if premiums double: Poll
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One in four Americans covered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are considering going without health insurance if their monthly premiums double next year, a new KFF poll published Thursday finds.
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Open enrollment for the ACA began last month, and many Americans experienced sticker shock upon receiving their annual notices and discovering their 2026 premiums would be increasing.
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At the same time, enhanced premium tax credits under the ACA, which help lower the cost of monthly premiums for about 22 million Americans, are set to expire at the end of the year, and it's unclear if Congress will take action to extend them.
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How Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear Thinks Democrats Can Win Rural America
I think people miss that rural America is more complicated, and they might not think that there are more industries, that there need to be more services, and that there are serious implications of policies like the one that the Trump administration has pushed forward. Our fastest growing industry in rural Kentucky is health care. And so the idea that the “big, ugly bill” would gut rural health care means it’s not only reducing options to get health care in rural America, but it’s attacking a foundation of the economy. Every rural hospital we have is the number one payroll in its community and the number two employer behind the public school.
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State Department to deny visas to fact checkers and others, citing 'censorship'
"I'm alarmed that trust and safety work is being conflated with 'censorship'," said Alice Goguen Hunsberger, who has worked in trust and safety at tech companies including OpenAI and Grindr.
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"Trust and safety is a broad practice which includes critical and life-saving work to protect children and stop CSAM [child sexual abuse material], as well as preventing fraud, scams, and sextortion. T&S workers are focused on making the internet a safer and better place, not censoring just for the sake of it," she said. "Bad actors that target Americans come from all over the world and it's so important to have people who understand different languages and cultures on trust and safety teams — having global workers at tech companies in [trust and safety] absolutely keeps Americans safer."
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Donald Trump Has Lost the Plot: Trump Hires New Ballroom Architect While His Economy Falters
“Donald Trump is done doing his job. While he obsesses over construction plans for his gilded ballroom, his economy is in tatters — and working families are paying the price. Everyday Americans are being crushed under high prices and mass layoffs while they brace for skyrocketing health care premiums — all driven by Trump’s disastrous policies. Instead of fixing the mess he’s made, Trump is busy cozying up to his billionaire buddies. Because in Trump’s America, the rich get richer — and everyone else gets stuck with the bill.”
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Top admiral briefs lawmakers on boat strike as watchdog faults Hegseth for Signal use
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced scrutiny on two fronts Thursday, as lawmakers zeroed in on the legality of a Sept. 2 strike on survivors aboard an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, while separately a Pentagon watchdog faulted him for using Signal to discuss a U.S. attack on Yemen.
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Lawmakers in both chambers were shown video of the boat strike behind closed doors in briefings with Navy Admiral Frank M. Bradley, the Special Operations commander who oversaw the operation. After those briefings, leading Democrats expressed shock at what they saw, with the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee calling it "one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service."
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Democrats will force a Senate vote on a 3-year extension of Affordable Care Act funds
“Republicans have one week to decide where they stand: Vote for this bill and bring health care costs down, or block this bill and send premiums skyrocketing,” Schumer said on the floor. “That’s what’s at stake when we vote next week. It’s going to be one of the most important votes we take.”
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Sen. Mark Kelly says Trump and Hegseth are 'not serious people' amid military video investigation
“This president thinks he can bully and intimidate people, and he is not going to, he’s not going to stop me from speaking out and holding him accountable for the things that he does that are wrong and unlawful,” Kelly told NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
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The Hot Dish: Don't Tell Jess Piper It's Raining
Jess Piper joins hosts Heidi and Joel Heitkamp to discuss the political climate in rural America, focusing on Democratic engagement and the challenges faced by local communities. During the conversation we touch on economic issues, healthcare, and the importance of local political campaigns.
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Jess shares her valuable insights one the current political landscape and her strategies for engaging rural voters. Jess discusses the significance of local representation and the impact of economic policies on rural communities. Jess offers a unique view on the challenges and opportunities in rural America.
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Grand jury declines to indict N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James, less than two weeks after the first case was dismissed
The Justice Department on Thursday failed to secure an indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James, a person familiar with the matter told NBC News.
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The presentation to the grand jury came less than two weeks after the original criminal case against her was dismissed.
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Elissa Slotkin ‘refuses to be intimidated’ after Trump threatens her and fellow Dems with death penalty over troop video
On Tuesday, Slotkin and five other Democratic lawmakers — all military veterans or former intelligence community professionals — posted a video in which they spoke directly to active duty service members.
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“The threats to our Constitution aren't just coming from abroad, but from right here at home,” they said. “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders."
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Supreme Court allows Texas to use redistricting map challenged as racially discriminatory
Justice Elena Kagan dissented from the ruling, in an opinion joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Thursday’s order, she said, “announces that Texas may run next year’s elections with a map the District Court found to have violated all our oft-repeated strictures about the use of race in districting. Today’s order,” she continued, “disrespects the work of a District Court that did everything one could ask to carry out its charge—that put aside every consideration except getting the issue before it right.”
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'Could they have paddled to shore'? Mika stunned by GOP lawmaker's response to new strike footage
Leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence committees and the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees were briefed this week on the September boat strikes, and reactions to the briefing seemed to break down on party lines. The Morning Joe panel discusses.
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Health subsidies would continue for 3 years under Dem bill to be voted on in US Senate
U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced Thursday the chamber will vote next week to extend enhanced tax credits for three years for people who purchase their health insurance from the Affordable Care Act marketplace, though the plan seems unlikely to get the bipartisan support needed to advance.
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Share these Dem-NPL Graphics!
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The Century Club supports our year-round work to build party infrastructure supporting candidate recruitment, local district and regional leadership, issue-based education, and tools for Dem-NPL success.
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Help us elect great Democrats up and down the ballot!
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The North Dakota Democratic-NPL is launching a new grassroots program called “Neighbor to Neighbor” where volunteers will connect with voters in your community to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. As a volunteer, you will be responsible for connecting with voters in 25 homes in your neighborhood or friends and family to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot about 3-4 times this year.
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Grassroots organizers are the lifeblood of the Dem-NPL! Sign up to volunteer with the Dem-NPL!
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