ICYM This This or This on Cramer’s Terrible Trade War

(BISMARCK, ND) – On the day of his town hall on trade, where Congressman Cramer was set to meet with farmers and manufacturers after dismissing their concerns as “hysteria,” he was met with an avalanche of editorials and more bad news about the disastrous effects of his trade war.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

OR THIS
AgWeek:

  • Almost two-thirds of firms surveyed for the Mid-America Business Conditions Index reported that recent tariffs or trade restrictions have had, or will have, a negative impact on their company. Similarly, 46.8 percent of supply managers indicated recent tariffs have increased the cost of buying from abroad.
  • Farm exports commonly are targeted in retaliatory tariffs, as is happening in response to the Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs against other countries, [Ernie Goss, a Creighton economist] said. “They’re already seeing some negative fallout.”
  • Impacts will worsen, including falling farm exports, if the dispute escalates. “If we don’t see some resolution, these impacts are going to climb,” Goss said. The Trump administration has pledged $12 billion in aid to soften the blow to farmers, but that will be a small Band-Aid that won’t “solve the problem,” he said.
  • “It’s not sufficient to address the losses that will accumulate if we continue to go down this path,” Goss said. “Farmers survive and do better under free and fair trade.”

OR IN CASE YOU MISSED THAT 
Walsh County Record Editorial:

  • North Dakota, and specifically Grafton, are highly dependent on the success of area farmers. […] Soybean prices have dropped almost 20 percent since April when China announced a 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans. That means farmers are getting lower prices for goods and are not making enough to cover bills… When government gets involved in the market at that degree, it is disruptive and the agriculture market may never recover.
  • The emergency aid program is pointedly timed to possibly help Republicans in midterm elections. Many of the states that supported Trump in the 2016 president election, like Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, North Dakota and South Dakota, have been impacted by the punitive tariffs from China and other countries.

OR IN CASE YOU MISSED THOSE 
AgWeek Editorial:

  • Agriculture has become collateral damage for the ongoing trade war, which some experts predict could last another year.
  • No one wins in a trade war, even when you try to fix it with a bandage. So, the $12-billion trade compensation package falls short of helping farmers at a time when they need markets and higher commodity prices after five years of a depressed farm economy.
  • Many in agriculture have labored for decades to develop and expand international markets for their products. It has taken millions of dollars and countless hours to build relationships that have led to U.S. sales… The trade war has dismantled those years of work in just a few weeks. What dollar amount can be put on those future losses?
  • A $12 billion bandage for a wound of his making is still a bandage. Now, with congressional elections nearing, Trump wants us to focus on the bandage. Far better, we think, if he would focus on the wound.
  • Many farmers have questioned how market losses can be assessed equitably since some farmers sold crop ahead while others didn’t. They also are questioning if these payments will be adequate if the soybean market continues to stay depressed.
  • Soybean farmers aren’t the only ones hurt by the trade war. It has impacted the dairy, cotton, corn, wheat, sorghum and pork sectors.
  • While a trade compensation package on the surface may seem like a positive move by the Trump administration, it will be too little too late for many farmers who are financially strapped after five years of low commodity prices. These farmers will become casualties of the trade war and won’t be around to see the great outcome Trump is promising.

OR IN CASE YOU MISSED ALL OF THAT

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CROOKED CRAMER’S CHRONICLES – CRAMER INFUSING POLITICS IN FARM BILL – 5 FAST FACTS ABOUT CRAMER’S TRADE WAR – COUNTDOWN CLOCK – 100 DAYS OUT MEMO

Welcome to Crooked Cramer’s Chronicles where, every Friday, we’ll break down the latest and greatest weekly hits about Cramer’s crooked, self-serving, extreme, and gaffe-prone behavior that puts himself and his partisan politics ahead of North Dakotans.

WILL CRAMER PUT POLITICS ABOVE A STRONG FARM BILL ON CONFERENCE COMMITTEE? If history is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes. His pattern of playing political games with farmers’ livelihoods is well-documented – Congressman Cramer will always put politics ahead of what’s best for North Dakota. A brief history:

  • June 2013: After fighting for deep, partisan cuts, Cramer blamed everyone but himself for the bill’s initial failure, taking aim at both Democrats and Republicans before later complaining at a closed-door GOP meeting that failure to pass the legislation would end his congressional career.
  • June 2013: The Williston Herald slammed Cramer for “knocks on his leadership,” which included choosing politics over fighting for a strong Farm Bill, and urged him to “take a lesson from Hoeven and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp.”
  • September 2013: The Grand Forks Herald Editorial Board admonished Cramer as an ‘ideologue’ who “rejects compromises and insists on policies that are ideologically pure” for prioritizing partisan efforts to carve food stamps out of the Farm Bill.
  • May 2018: This year, Cramer enthusiastically voted for the initial House Farm Bill which enjoyed zero bipartisan support because of its huge cuts to SNAP, threatening food support for millions of Americans. And he practically shrugged at his support for including a poison pill provision in the first iteration of the Farm Bill, which resulted in its failure on the House floor – calling the effort “not inappropriate.”

5 FAST FACTS ABOUT CRAMER’S TRADE WAR. Kevin Cramer helped create and continues to fully embrace this reckless trade war and North Dakotans know he’s to blame for the devastating economic impact it’s having on North Dakotans’ bottom lines. While Cramer may try and spin during his trade town hall today, here are five fast facts you need to know:

  1. The trade war is jeopardizing the livelihood of North Dakota’s farmers, ranchers, and businesses: 111,100 jobs are supported by trade and over $60 million in exports are threatened.
  2. Cramer flipped and flopped and flipped again on the trade war, playing games with producers’ livelihoods, all to up his political capital with Washington.
  3. Cramer is now a rubber stamp for this disastrous trade war. In fact, he’s one of its biggest cheerleaders – to the detriment of North Dakotans.
  4. Cramer has repeatedly underestimated the economy-killing consequences of the trade war, proving just how out of touch he is with North Dakotans.
  5. Cramer created a self-imposed deadline for when he’ll finally stand up for North Dakota against this trade war: September.

DON’T MISS: Editorials across the state are detailing how the Cramer-endorsed trade war, and $12 billion bailout, is harming North Dakotans.
Walsh County Record Editorial: Farmer Welfare Falls Short.
AgWeek Editorial: Trump trade aid just a bandage.
AgWeek: Economist: Prolonged trade war threatens North Dakota economic growth.

DEM-NPL LAUNCHES COUNTDOWN CLOCK UNTIL CRAMER’S NEXT BROKEN PROMISE. Instead of standing up and taking responsibility to try and blunt the effects of the trade war, Cramer kicked his responsibility down the road and, incredulously, created a self-imposed deadline of September for when he’ll finally stand up for North Dakota’s interests. Well, Cramer has less than one month until that deadline and the Dem-NPL is here to remind him every minute of every second of every day that he’s not standing up for North Dakotans. See how much time he has left here.

POLITIFACT: “EFFECTS” OF TRADE WAR “NOT PRETTY.” Earlier this week, Politifact took a look at the damaging impact of Cramer’s trade war:

  • For workers in America’s heartland, the good news of savings from President Donald Trump’s tax cuts is getting overshadowed by concern over his disruptive trade policies.
  • “My equipment manufacturers tell me whatever advantage they’ve gotten from the tax code change has been eaten up in the very early months of the steel and aluminum tariffs,” Heitkamp said on CNBC on July 20, 2018.
  • Economists tell us the effects of the tariffs, while imprecise so far, are not pretty.

KEVIN CRAMER WORKS FOR WASHINGTON – NOT NORTH DAKOTA.Read our 100 Days Out Memo on the many times Cramer has voted however his D.C. bosses order, all to increase his political capital so he can enrich himself. That’s why he’s wrong for North Dakota.

CRAMER STILL BACKED BY OUT-OF-STATE DARK MONEY. The Koch Network’s snub of Cramer made news this week, but North Dakotans know that Cramer is still backed by out-of-state special interests. That includes the billionaire Uihleins from Illinois, who gave Cramer the maximum primary contribution and also contributed to accused child molester and former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.
**DON’T FORGET why Cramer got into the race in the first place: An out-of-state billionaire pledged to bankroll his campaign.**

CRAMER WON’T STAND UP FOR PRE-EXISTING CONDITION COVERAGE.Washington’s latest scheme to expand skimpy, short-term health plans could mean that North Dakotans who have pre-existing conditions like asthma, cancer, or depression wouldn’t be guaranteed coverage and could be priced out of affording care. One insurer warned that these plans have “the potential to harm consumers, both by making comprehensive coverage more expensive and by leaving some consumers unaware of the risks of these policies.” Yet Cramer supports this dangerous agenda.

ICYMI: GRAND FORKS MAYOR ON WHY HE’S SUPPORTING HEIDI.
“Put simply, this Senate campaign should be about the candidates’ records. It should be about the results they’ve actually brought home to North Dakotans during their time in office. Heidi has distinguished herself as an effective legislator – she’s informed, she’s engaged and she gets the job done for North Dakota. She’s never lost touch with her roots. And that’s pretty rare in Washington these days.”

CRAMER’S PLAYING POLTIICS YET AGAIN – THIS TIME WITH VETS.Cramer’s voting record on veterans’ issues isn’t anything to write home about; in fact, he’d rather cover it up – so he’s desperately trying to conjure up some support from North Dakota’s veterans by spending campaign funds on a social media blitz targeting them. There’s just one problem: the ad he’s promoting features a California stock photo rather than a real North Dakota veteran. Veterans’ groups have always known about Cramer’s record – and now North Dakota vets are starting to notice his cheap political tactics, too.

TWEET OF THE WEEK.

Fast Facts About Kevin Cramer’s Trade War

Ahead of Congressman Cramer’s trade town hall today, here are five fast facts to know about Cramer and the trade war he’s endorsed.

  1. THE TRADE WAR IS JEOPARDIZING THE LIVELIHOOD OF NORTH DAKOTA’S FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND BUSINESSES: 111,100 JOBS AND OVER $60 MILLION IN EXPORTS ARE THREATENED.

Forum: North Dakota agribusinessman tells Pence he can’t sell enough grain.

Forum: Commentary from 4th generation farmer: Trade wars are economic self-mutilation.

“Agriculture will be the casualty in a trade war. […] The tariffs on steel and aluminum will greatly affect Dakota farmers, especially corn and soybean farmers. […] Trade wars are economic self-mutilation.”

WDAY: ‘We feel like we’re a bargaining chip’: N.D. soybean farmers fear trade war after Trump announces tariffs.

“‘There is no doubt that it will affect our bottom line,’ if there is a trade war, he said. ‘North Dakota is a producing state, not a consuming state, so we need free trade.’”

Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota to lose a lot in trade war.

Grand Forks Herald: North Dakota manufacturers left to weather uncertainty of trade war.

  1. CRAMER FLIPPED AND FLOPPED AND FLIPPED AGAIN ON THE TRADE WAR, PLAYING GAMES WITH PRODUCERS’ LIVELIHOODS, ALL TO UP HIS POLITICAL CAPITAL WITH WASHINGTON.

Read more on his flip flop here.

  1. CRAMER IS NOW A RUBBER STAMP FOR THIS DISASTROUS TRADE WAR. IN FACT, HE’S ONE OF ITS BIGGEST CHEERLEADERS – TO THE DETRIMENT OF NORTH DAKOTANS.

Cramer’s campaign said he will “support” the president’s position on the trade war in the Senate.

Cramer encouraged other D.C. politicians to “rally behind the administration[‘s]” trade war.

Bismarck Tribune: LTE: Farmers in state need some loyalty.
“Farmers and ranchers face enough uncertainty with the weather — we don’t need any more caused by politicians in Washington. That’s why along with so many farmers across North Dakota and the nation, I’ve been deeply concerned by the president’s proposed tariffs. […] I was disappointed that Rep. Kevin Cramer has refused to stand up to the president on this issue. I understand that they’re both from the same party — but that shouldn’t stop Cramer from doing what’s right and standing up for North Dakota.”

Forum: Letter: Cramer’s blind allegiance to Trump’s tariffs bad for ND farmers.
“Congressman Kevin Cramer certainly pledges his allegiance to the Trump administration every time I listen to his interviews. Cramer is wrong to embrace the Trump tariffs as they are going to have a serious negative impact on middle America and looking at the economic numbers, we cannot afford a set back. […] Congressman Cramer’s blind allegiance to Trump is letting our farmers and ranchers down.”

  1. CRAMER HAS REPEATEDLY UNDERESTIMATED THE ECONOMY-KILLING CONSEQUENCES OF THE TRADE WAR, PROVING JUST HOW OUT OF TOUCH HE IS WITH NORTH DAKOTANS.

Amid trade war threats using soybeans as collateral, Cramer claimed it was not all doom and gloom for North Dakota producers.

Cramer dismissed farmers’ concerns over the trade war as “hysteria” and told them they “don’t have a very high pain threshold.”

After Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue said the $12 billion government bailout is “obviously… not going to make farmers whole,” Cramer claimed farmers may not “need all 12 billion [in trade aid], if we need any of it.”

  1. CRAMER CREATED A SELF-IMPOSED DEADLINE FOR WHEN HE’LL FINALLY STAND UP FOR NORTH DAKOTA AGAINST THIS TRADE WAR: SEPTEMBER.

And he’s got less than a month to go. See the countdown clock here.

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Cramer: Welcome to Grafton, Where Your Trade War Is Hurting North Dakotans.

(BISMARCK, ND) – Before Congressman Kevin Cramer’s trade town hall in Grafton, the county paper published an editorial highlighting how the trade war is hurting North Dakota’s farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers – and how the $12 billion bailout “bandage” isn’t what they need. We bet Cramer will hear more about this today – we hope he’ll listen rather than again dismiss their concerns as “hysteria.” Remember, North Dakotans are waiting for him to finally stand up for them.

Walsh County Record Editorial: Farmer Welfare Falls Short.

  • “Our farmers, our producers, they don’t want bailouts,” Simon Wilson, executive director of the North Dakota Trade Office, told CNBC’s “Closing Bell” on Tuesday. “They don’t want this help in the short term. They want long-term stability.”
  • North Dakota, and specifically Grafton, are highly dependent on the success of area farmers. This $12 billion plan is that of a social economy, perhaps even reminiscent of a Soviet economy. Soybean prices have dropped almost 20 percent since April when China announced a 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans. That means farmers are getting lower prices for goods and are not making enough to cover bills… When government gets involved in the market at that degree, it is disruptive and the agriculture market may never recover.
  • The emergency aid program is pointedly timed to possibly help Republicans in midterm elections. Many of the states that supported Trump in the 2016 president election, like Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, North Dakota and South Dakota, have been impacted by the punitive tariffs from China and other countries.

AgWeek Editorial: Trump trade aid just a bandage.

  • Agriculture has become collateral damage for the ongoing trade war, which some experts predict could last another year.
  • No one wins in a trade war, even when you try to fix it with a bandage. So, the $12-billion trade compensation package falls short of helping farmers at a time when they need markets and higher commodity prices after five years of a depressed farm economy.
  • Many in agriculture have labored for decades to develop and expand international markets for their products. It has taken millions of dollars and countless hours to build relationships that have led to U.S. sales… The trade war has dismantled those years of work in just a few weeks. What dollar amount can be put on those future losses?
  • A $12 billion bandage for a wound of his making is still a bandage. Now, with congressional elections nearing, Trump wants us to focus on the bandage. Far better, we think, if he would focus on the wound.
  • Many farmers have questioned how market losses can be assessed equitably since some farmers sold crop ahead while others didn’t. They also are questioning if these payments will be adequate if the soybean market continues to stay depressed.
  • Soybean farmers aren’t the only ones hurt by the trade war. It has impacted the dairy, cotton, corn, wheat, sorghum and pork sectors.
  • While a trade compensation package on the surface may seem like a positive move by the Trump administration, it will be too little too late for many farmers who are financially strapped after five years of low commodity prices. These farmers will become casualties of the trade war and won’t be around to see the great outcome Trump is promising.

Reminder: While Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue said the $12 billion government bailout is “obviously… not going to make farmers whole,” Cramer claimed farmers may not “need all 12 billion [in trade aid], if we need any of it.”

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Will Cramer Continue Playing Politics With Farm Bill?

(BISMARCK, ND) – With farmers “getting hit on all sides” by the escalating trade war, they’re more dependent than ever on the passage of a strong, bipartisan Farm Bill. Now that Heidi and the North Dakota congressional delegation have been named to the Conference Committee, it’s a real chance to deliver for our farmers and producers. But if history is any indication, Cramer will take this opportunity to play politics – and hurt our farmers in the process.

Since the early days of the trade war, Cramer has been dismissive of farmers’ suggestions, saying “I’m just not sure the Farm Bill is the vehicle for that” and calling it “an already far too-complicated bill.” On top of that, he’s been vocally supportive of extreme provisions in the House bill that jeopardized its passage.

Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL asked: “Cramer’s history of playing politics with the Farm Bill is well-documented. Will this time be any different?”

A Brief History of Cramer Playing Politics with the Farm Bill

  • In his 1996 campaign, Cramer praised a bill that cut farm funding by an estimated $2 billion, saying that it was “fairly clear” that taxpayers wouldn’t “sit back and fund” federal crop price subsidies “into infinity.”
  • In that same unsuccessful bid, Cramer promised to restore millions of acres to the Conservation Reserve Program. By the time he was running in 2010, Cramer had reversed his position.
  • Cramer blamed everyone but himself for the initial failure of the 2013 farm bill, taking aim at both Democrats and Republicans before later complaining at a closed-door GOP meeting that failure to pass the legislation would end his congressional career.
  • Cramer voted for a Farm Bill that did not reauthorize nutrition assistance programs that lifted 4.7 million Americans out of poverty in 2011.
  • In 2013, the Williston Herald called on Cramer to “take a lesson from Hoeven and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp” and round up Republican support for the Farm Bill, saying it was “a chance to redeem knocks on his leadership.”
  • That same year, the Grand Forks Herald Editorial Board slammed Cramer and House Republicans for carving food stamps out of the Farm Bill, saying the move was a “sign of ideologues who value purity above results.”
  • This year, Cramer enthusiastically voted for the initial House Farm Bill which enjoyed zero bipartisan support because of its huge cuts to SNAP, threatening food support for millions of Americans.

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Shot/Chaser: Cramer Out of Touch on Trade War

(BISMARCK, ND) – Here’s the latest, daily example of Congressman Cramer being out of touch with the needs of North Dakota’s farmers, ranchers, and businesses – especially when it concerns the trade war.

SHOT: Cramer on trade war aid: “I think that there’s a chance we won’t need all 12 billion, if we need any of it.”

CHASER: Ag Secretary Perdue on trade war aid: “Obviously this is not going to make farmers whole.”

Something for Cramer to consider: This “Band-Aid” would not have been needed in the first place had Cramer not blindly backed the trade war.

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NEW: Washington GOP Continuing to Sabotage Health Care – Will Cramer Stand Up for ND?

(BISMARCK, ND) – Today rules were finalized to expand skimpy, short-term health plans – the kind that don’t protect coverage for pre-existing conditions like asthma, diabetes, or depression and that the CBO has estimated would cause premiums to rise. These plans have been criticized by health advocacy groups and insurance companies because they have “the potential to harm consumers, both by making comprehensive coverage more expensive and by leaving some consumers unaware of the risks of these policies.”

It’s a reminder that Kevin Cramer pushed for a hyper-partisan health care agenda that could have harmed those with pre-existing conditions by increasing the cost of their care, imposed an age tax on older North Dakotans, and spiked health care costs.

Last week, the Dem-NPL launched Google search ads to remind North Dakotans about Cramer’s dangerous health care agenda and how, if it had passed, they would be paying the price. Read more here.

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COUNTDOWN CLOCK: How Long Until Cramer Stands with North Dakota in the Trade War?

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer’s economy-wrecking trade war is having lasting effects on North Dakota’s farmers, ranchers, and businesses – but Cramer has told them they “don’t have a very high pain threshold” and called their concerns “hysteria.” So it’s no wonder when a constituent asked Cramer what the “line” would be for him to finally stand up for North Dakota in this trade war, Cramer punted his responsibility down the road, simply giving a deadline of “September.”

Well, it’s one month to the day until we reach Cramer’s self-imposed deadline and we’re launching a countdown clock to remind him every minute of every second of every day that he’s not standing up for North Dakotans.

“Congressman Cramer’s decision to abdicate his responsibility in stopping the trade war is a clear sign that he’s more interested in kowtowing to an extreme D.C. agenda than he is in standing up for our interests,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “That’s why the Dem-NPL is here to remind him – every day from now until Election Day – that he’s shirking his responsibility to North Dakotans, and they’ll remember that in November.”

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Cramer Supports Cuts to Key Economic Driver in ND Cities

Essential Air Service (EAS) Funding Provides $11 Million to Rural Airports in ND Each Year


(BISMARCK, ND) – Access to rural areas is critical to rural economic development. But apparently, that’s not a concept Congressman Cramer understands. If Cramer had his way, the Essential Air Service (EAS) Program – which provides critical funding to small community airports in North Dakota cities from Dickinson to Devils Lake – would be on the chopping block. Cuts to EAS would create a “real risk of these communities losing commercial service,”according to the Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional airport director, and would threaten job creation and economic growth in these communities.

While Devils Lake Airport, Dickinson Airport, and Jamestown Airport all receive funding from this program, Cramer supported cuts to EAS funding that was included in the president’s budget proposal. In fact, Cramer has gone so far as to suggest that he would be willing to support “eliminating” the service.

“North Dakotans know how vital the Essential Air Service Program is to providing the access rural North Dakota towns need to build strong economies, grow jobs, and to keep our communities strong and safe,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Unfortunately, Congressman Cramer’s repeated willingness to cut this critical program is just one in a heap of examples of him valuing Washington party bosses ahead of what’s best for North Dakota.”

Additional Background: 

Essential Air Service Gives $11 Million To North Dakota’s Airports, Including $4.2 Million To Dickinson Airport, $4 Million To Devils Lake Airport, And $2.8 Million To Jamestown Airport. [The Bismarck Tribune, 3/25/17]

Cramer Expressed An Openness To Cutting The Essential Air Services Program, Which Provides Subsidies To Small Community Airports. [The Dickinson Press, 12/6/17]

Heitkamp Joins Push To Save EA. [The Bismarck Tribune, 4/12/17]

Trump’s Budget Proposal Cuts Funding For Devils Lake Airport. [Devils Lake Journal, 4/3/17]

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Cost of Cramer’s Trade War: $39 Billion

(BISMARCK, ND) – The cost of the Congressman Cramer’s trade war is now becoming clear: According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, it could cost taxpayers as much as $39 billion to provide aid to all the industries affected by the ongoing trade war. And experts warn that the package – an additional $27 billion on top of the $12 billion that Cramer charged taxpayers last week – won’t cover the full extent of farmers’ losses.

Now Cramer, who is more concerned with winning elections than protecting North Dakota’s ag economy, is throwing aside his self-proclaimed fiscal conservative values and swiping the nation’s credit card to bail himself out of a political bind.

“It’s clear that Kevin Cramer’s faux concern for farmers is nothing more than a transparent political gambit to get him out of hot water with voters,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL.“But farmers want a market – and they know Cramer is to blame for this self-inflicted wound.”

From the beginning, Cramer has been one of the most enthusiastic cheerleaders of the trade war. After incorrectly predicting that there would only be “a couple of days scare” in the soybean market, Cramer demanded that North Dakota farmers endure “short-term pain” and called their concerns “hysteria.” Meanwhile, ag producers in the state have lost 20 percent off their bottom lines, leaving hundreds of thousands of acres without a buyer.

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Cramer Has To Fabricate Vets’ Support

Cramer Used Stock Photo of Vet in Paid Social Ad

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer is getting desperate. After his record of disrespecting veterans was put in the spotlight, Cramer went into damage control mode – and apparently the best he could come up with was using a California stock photo of a veteran in a paid social ad.

See Cramer’s ad and the stock photo on Getty Images side-by-side:

This isn’t the first time Cramer has used stock photos or North Dakotans’ images without permission in his campaign ads.

“It’s unfortunate that Cramer had to resort to a stock photo to demonstrate his support from veterans – but it’s no surprise given his disrespectful comments about their service and his reluctance to adequately fund their pay,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “

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Cramer Still Backed By Out-Of-State Dark Money

Despite Koch Snub, Cramer Still Propped Up By Out-Of-State Special Interests 
(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer may have lost the backing of Club for Growth and the Koch Network because of his fiscal conservative ‘inconsistencies,’ but he’s still backed by out-of-state special interests, including the billionaire Uihleins from Illinois. Cramer took the maximum primary contribution from Uihlein and his wife, who have made a point of funding other radical candidates across the country – including accused child molester and former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore – in order to buy their influence in Washington.

Don’t forget: Cramer has a history of accepting money and help from radical groups that don’t share North Dakota’s values. Earlier this year, Cramer “sought and received the support of an anti-LGBT group that links homosexuality to pedophilia and defends conversion therapy,” and Cramer still hasn’t returned a campaign contribution from a PAC that is “facing scrutiny from campaign finance regulators” that was formed to support Roy Moore.

And, perhaps most importantly, earlier this year Cramer admitted that he got into the Senate race, not at the urging of North Dakotans, but only after an out-of-state billionaire pledged to bankroll his campaign.

From Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL: “Kevin Cramer’s eagerness to accept dark money from out-of-state groups makes us wonder who he actually works for in DC: North Dakotans or the special interests bankrolling his campaign?”

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