President Obama endorses Josh Boschee for District 44 House

(BISMARCK, ND) – President Barack Obama has endorsed Josh Boschee for North Dakota House in District 44. Boschee is among a select group of state legislative candidates from around the country to receive the President’s endorsement.

“This election isn’t just about defeating extreme Republican candidates. It’s also about electing strong Democrats, like Josh Boschee,” says President Obama in a radio endorsement recorded for Boschee. “I know Josh Boschee will fight to defend the progress we’ve made over the past eight years.”

“We’re thrilled that Josh has received President Obama’s endorsement,” said Dem-NPL Executive Director Robert Haider. “It’s a recognition of how important the District 44 legislative race is to building on the progress we’ve made in recent years, both here in the North Fargo community and across the country. We’re extremely proud of the hard work Josh has been doing canvassing his community, speaking with voters, and putting forth a positive message about how to make our community and state even stronger.”

Boschee is running alongside fellow Dem-NPL House candidate Karla Rose Hanson and state Senate candidate Merrill Piepkorn in District 44. The D44 legislative race has caught national attention due to the community’s shifting demographics and the important local issues being highlighted by Boschee, Hanson and Piepkorn, including K-12 education, community safety, behavioral health services and property tax relief. Last month, Hanson also received the national spotlight when the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee designated her as an “essential race candidate.”

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. aj-endorsement

“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.