In rare move, Minot Daily News endorses Democratic House candidate A.J. Schultz

(BISMARCK, ND) – In a rare move, the Minot Daily News on Friday endorsed Dem-NPL House candidate A.J. Schultz, saying Schultz has “a wealth of personal and professional experience to bring to public service and has ably presented himself as post-partisan.”

Endorsing a Democrat is a bold move for the Minot Daily News, which tends to have a staunchly conservative editorial perspective. Going back at least a generation, it is highly unusual for the paper to endorse a Democratic candidate. 

“As a veteran, a gun owner, and a small business owner, this election is about more than partisanship to me,” said Schultz. “Since Day One, I’ve done my best to focus on the local issues that are important to our community. How do we deal with Minot’s drug problem? How do we ensure better flood protection for our families? How do we get our state budget in order to protect funding for human services and K-12 education? I’m humbled to receive the Minot Daily News endorsement, and I think it’s an acknowledgement of the important issues we’ve been raising in our campaign.”

“We’re extremely proud of the work A.J.’s been doing canvassing neighborhoods, speaking with voters, and putting forth a message focused on the issues affecting the Minot community,” said Dem-NPL Executive Director and Burlington native Robert Haider. “It’s because of hard-working, dedicated candidates like A.J. that the Dem-NPL is so confident in our ability to offer voters a substantive, forward-looking agenda in North Dakota.”

Schultz is running to represent District 40 along with fellow House candidate Heidi Rintoul and state Senate candidate Phil Franklin.