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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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The 2026 Governor's Dinner is coming up! Donate to our silent auction!
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The 2026 Governor's Dinner will take place on May 2nd at 530pm at Sixteen03 Main Events (1603 E Main Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501). The deadline to let us know that you will contribute to our silent auction is April 17th. That gives us time to put all the auction information into 32 auctions, and it gives people ample time to check out the items before the dinner! All silent auction items must be delivered to the event venue by 5pm.
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District 22 - Run for Office Virtual 5K
District 22 is hosting its first annual virtual 5K! Registration is happening now through February 27, 2026. You can complete the 5K (3.1 miles) any time, anywhere through March 31, 2026.
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Break the distance up into smaller segments or get it done in one go. Hop on your treadmill, go outside, walk or run alone or with friends.
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Keep an eye out for in-person meet-ups if you are local to the Fargo-West Fargo area during the month of March!
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Root and Rally
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Fri, Mar 27, 2026, 4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. CDT
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Join us on Friday, March 27th at the Board Room in South Grand Forks for an evening of drinks, community, and grassroots energy with DNC Vice Chair Jane Kleeb—featuring local candidates and Rep. Zac Ista
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Finally Friday Social!
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Fri, Mar 27, 2026 6:00 PM CDT
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Every Friday, come celebrate the start of the weekend with the Souris Valley Dem-NPL!
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Rural Voter Outreach Training with Nebraska State Party Chair Jane Kleeb
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Sat, Mar 28, 11:00am-2:00pm CDT
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North Dakota Farmers Union
1415 12th Ave SE, Jamestown
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Join us for a Rural Voter Outreach Training with Nebraska State Party Chair Jane Kleeb! Kleeb is also the author of "Harvest the Vote: How Democrats Can Win Again in Rural America"
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It’s a Democratic Party!
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Sun, Mar 29, 2:00pm-4:00pm CDT
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FM Labor Temple
3001 1st Ave N, Fargo
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Join us for a fun afternoon with Nebraska Democratic Party Chair and ASDC President Jane Kleeb!
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Region 2 Century Club Appreciation Event
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Tues, Apr 7, 2026 6:00 PM CDT
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Parker Center
21 1st Ave. SE, Minot
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The Region 2 Century Club Appreciation Event will be April 7, 2026 at 6 pm.
Parker Center, Minot ND
-21 1st Ave SE, Minot, ND 58701
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Dickinson Area Democratic-NPL meeting
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Wed, Apr 8, 2026 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm MDT
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The Press Box at Players Sports Bar & Grill
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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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Walleye Fish Fry and Representative LaurieBeth Hager’s Birthday
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Fri, Apr 10, 2026 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm CDT
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The Press Box at Players Sports Bar & Grill
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Amvets 1001 1st Ave S, Fargo
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Please join us to celebrate Representative LaurieBeth Hager’s Birthday and a Walleye Fish Fry.We need a count by April 1st. Please use the link below to sign-up and be counted.
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District 28 Bowling Blitz in Oakes
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Sun, Apr 12, 2026 2:00 pm CDT
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Shadow Lanes
410 Main Ave., Oakes
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Our next monthly meeting will be held in Oakes!
Join us for some bowling fun and bring an item for the food pantry!
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District 7 Dem-NPL Meeting
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Tues, Apr 14, 2026 7:00 pm CDT
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Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library
515 N 5th St. Bismarck
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The next meeting of the District 7 Dem-NPL will be Tuesday, April 14, 2026 from 7 pm to 9 pm in Room A at the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Library, 515 North 5th Street. Come in the front doors and immediately go to the right to take the stairs or elevator to the basement. See you there!
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North Dakota Democrats are fired up to run for office this year!
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Districts 3, 7, 9, 11, 13, 20, 21, 31, 33, 35, 42, and 47 have all endorsed full slates, and most Districts have endorsed at least one candidate for the Legislature! If you want to run, this is the year to do it! Let us know if you are interested!
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Help us spread our message—share these recent posts!
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Vern Thompson announces run for ND Ag Commissioner
“North Dakota deserves leaders who will stand up for family farmers and speak honestly about the crisis. We need someone who’ll fight to keep land in the hands of the people who work it: not corporations, not absentee investors or Wall Street. That is my reality check, and the reason why I’m running for ND Ag Commissioner,” Thompson said in part.
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Joel and Heidi Heitkamp speak to the status of the DHS funding
Joel Heitkamp is joined by his sister and former United States Senator, Heidi Heitkamp. The Senate unanimously voted in a rare overnight session to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Customs and Border Protection.
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Gas prices rise sharply in North Dakota amid Iran war
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With less oil moving, gas prices will feel the impact, Zakhirova said.
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"This particular crisis has been protracted now, right four weeks and counting, and so the longer these oil tankers stay trapped on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz, the less oil ... for the global economy," she said.
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Zakhirova also noted that insurance for oil companies is higher because of the risk to tankers during the war.
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North Dakota property tax credit popular but new budget cap causing some headaches
An expanded property tax credit is proving to be popular with North Dakota homeowners, but a 3% cap on annual property tax increases is creating challenges for local governments.
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North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer talks to Craig Blumenshine, producer and host of Prairie Public’s Main Street, about why the state now projects the expanded property tax credit will cost $20 million more than projected.
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Meanwhile, local cities, counties and school boards say the new cap is making budgeting stressful. Some suggest lawmakers change the law in 2027 to link the cap to inflation or exempt costs like public safety, infrastructure and election expenses.
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Guest column: Fargo's AI pickle
Thinking skills, traditionally fostered in young people by study of the liberal arts, have come in for a beating during the Trump years. Reasoning and wrestling with meaning have been scorned as the endeavors of useless “elites.” Yet, it is in the ability to apply logic and principles of evaluation to source material that we, the people, might get a handle on proper use of AI. After all, AI is based on data. To make AI an appropriate tool, we—and even more so, our kids and grandkids—must understand how and why that data was collected. Let’s acknowledge that no framework or algorithm can give purpose to a tsunami of data without human discernment. Let’s reject allowing AI to treat human citizens as nothing but data aggregates ripe for exploitation. Devoid of context, that data is dangerous and too often ruinous to human beings targeted.
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Faith leaders to lead Palm Sunday procession to North Dakota Capitol in support of immigrants
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Bill Patrie, a Bismarck organizer, said he hopes the event will be a chance for North Dakotans to show their support for immigrants like Muhorana. He said “welcoming the stranger” is part of North Dakota’s roots.
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“That’s who we are,” Patrie said.
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Fargo Board of Education member seeks reelection in June
As board president the past two years, Christensen Mineer has led the district through key initiatives, including a superintendent search and renewed approach to the district’s strategic plan, the news release said.
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“My approach has been simple: show up, listen, and lead. I’ve had the opportunity to see educators in action, and it’s truly inspirational,” she said in the release.
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Former District 24 Legislator Ralph Metcalf Passes Away
Metcalf was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives and represented the Democratic-NPL Party in District 24 from 1998 to 2012. He served on the House Appropriations and Human Resources committees. He was known as he stated “to buck his party a few times during his 14 years but gained the respect from members on both sides of the isle.” Thus forming strong friendships from both parties. He played a strong role passing legislation for construction of the Veteran’s Home project in Lisbon, ND. He also played a strong role in the reconstruction upgrade for the State Penitentiary project in Bismarck. He was a strong advocate for all the people of District 24 and North Dakota during his time in office.
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Bismarck teacher enters District 47 legislative race with Dem-NPL backing
"Over the last 20 years, I have watched the state Legislature prioritize partisan policies that restrict our freedoms rather than being focused on what matters most: rising costs for North Dakota families, cuts to critical health care programs, increasing rates of homelessness and ongoing reductions in public education funding," Jacobs-Fode said in a statement.
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District 29 Democratic-NPL announces John Kelly and Diane Norris running for ND Senate, House
The District 29 Democratic-NPL announces John Kelly is running for North Dakota Senate and Diane Norris for the North Dakota House of Representatives.
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Delegates from District 12 attend 2026 State Dem-NPL Convention
Joy Johnson, a delegate from District 12 reflects, “Tracy Foss, candidate for superintendent of public instruction, concluded her remarks with, ‘I don’t said want the title, I want the job.’ After this convention, I felt energized and felt some hope in these dark times," Joy Johnson, District 12 delegate.
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‘Quiet’ book bans threaten freedom of expression in North Dakota libraries
There is also a growing phenomenon of “quiet” book bans that take place outside the rancorous but democratic arena of public board meetings. Individual parents or other community members often lobby librarians and school administrators directly for the removal or restriction of books or other content, bypassing the community at large. After all, removing a book from the shelf isn’t the only method that amounts to censorship – requiring parental permission to read it or moving it to a less accessible section are both examples of soft censorship. The quiet pressure applied by this small group has an undeniable chilling effect, leading to self-censorship by librarians, administrators and educators driven by misguided attempts to avoid controversy or soothe dissension in their increasingly divided communities.
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S.C.O.T.U.S. to Address Mail in Voting
Thane Rosenbaum with CBS News is on Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness to tell us how this case might change the way U.S. citizens vote across the country.
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McFeely: Doug Burgum, U.S. Secretary of Oil
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Earlier this month, Burgum spoke to a group of developers, oil tycoons and artificial intelligence CEOs and ranted for more than five minutes against preserving public lands and trashed the Endangered Species Act because it threatens offshore oil development.
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He called Americans who oppose abusing public lands “financially illiterate” and claimed opposition to development on public land “took away an asset that belonged to all of you,” meaning the wealthy businessmen in the room.
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This week, Burgum and the CEO of a French energy giant finalized an agreement to cancel offshore wind leases worth about $1 billion and redirect the money to oil and natural gas projects in the United States.
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SAVE Act contains exemption for North Dakota voters, but questions remain as Senate debate continues
The League of Women Voters of North Dakota President Kathy Tweeten questioned whether the federal government would consider these aspects of North Dakota’s voting process adequate if the SAVE America Act passes.
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“This bill is unnecessary and makes it harder to vote when it’s already illegal for noncitizens to register and vote in federal or state elections,” Tweeten said in a letter published last week.
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Drug companies, North Dakota argue over state law meant to promote health care access
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The main type of policy that House Bill 1473 targets is drug manufacturers’ practice of refusing to sell 340B-discounted drugs to more than one pharmacy per hospital, which attorneys said became widespread after 2010.
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These policies have made it harder for patients to get discounted medication, as well as taken away profits that rural hospitals rely on to keep their doors open, Axt said. He said this is especially harmful to rural North Dakota communities, where access to health care is limited.
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Check out these posts from national Democrats
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DNC Chair Ken Martin Statement Calling on House Republicans to End the Chaos at Airports and Fund TSA, FEMA, and CISA
“Time and again, Democrats have offered proposals to fund critical Department of Homeland Security functions, like TSA, to ensure the American public is safe and secure while refusing to give a blank check to Trump’s campaign of brutality that has killed American citizens at the hands of masked federal immigration agents and betrayed our Constitution. House Republicans need to put an end to the chaos and vote on the bipartisan DHS funding bill immediately.”
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16 Years After the ACA, Democrats Continue the Fight for Affordable Health Care
“The Affordable Care Act was a monumental step forward in getting millions of people insured, but our work isn’t finished. Democrats refuse to accept a status quo where Americans delay treatment or ration their prescriptions because they can’t afford the skyrocketing health care costs caused by Donald Trump and Republicans. We will continue to treat health care as a right, not a privilege, and will fight to bring down costs and make sure that every American can access the care they deserve. At the same time, we will defend against Republican attempts to make Americans pay more for health care or repeal President Obama’s signature law.”
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War in Middle East causes further stress on US farmers
Corn farmers in the U.S. are bracing for even higher fertilizer prices as conflict in the Middle East impacts the globally traded commodity, according to leaders with the National Corn Growers Association.
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Corn farmers are approaching a fourth year of negative yields, due to low corn prices and high input costs, including fertilizers. The growers association renewed its call on Congress to legalize year-round, nationwide E-15, a higher blend of ethanol fuel, and for the removal of duties on fertilizers from Morocco.
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Lesly McNitt, vice president of public policy for National Corn Growers Association, said there is not enough domestically produced fertilizer to meet demand, which means imported fertilizer is vital to farmers.
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Farmers Are Worse Off and the Agricultural Economy Is Struggling Under Trump and Rollins
“Donald Trump can say all he wants that he ‘loves farmers’ and that he’ll ‘never do anything to hurt our farmers,’ but he has pushed family farms like mine to the brink and the agricultural economy is in shambles. Farming is hard enough as it is, and Trump’s reckless policies have made it damn near impossible — and for what? Trump’s chaotic tariffs locked farmers out of our markets and now his war of choice in Iran has sent costs even higher. This administration has abandoned American farmers — plain and simple.”
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AI booms’s major supply chain weakness exposed by Iran war | Tej Parikh
“If this is still going on for another month or so then we’re in a real problem territory.”
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The Financial Times’s Tej Parikh talks to the Tech Report’s Isaac Pound about how the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is threatening to derail the AI boom and a major supply chain weakness has been exposed by the conflict.
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‘OpenAI is at a point of no return’ | Natasha Bernal
Tech journalist Natasha Bernal joins the Tech Report’s Isaac Pound to talk about how OpenAI is shifting towards the enterprise market before the company goes public as Sam Altman plan’s to double his company’s workforce while also ditching Sora and a deal with Disney.
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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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