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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! If you would like to have something added to the newsletter, email us at [email protected]. Spread the word of our newsletter by sharing our sign-up link today: https://demnpl.com/join-our-newsletter/.
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It often takes multiple “asks” to convince someone to run for office—especially for women! Most folks haven’t even considered holding an elected position. But, when we look at who is currently in office in North Dakota, particularly in the legislature, it’s clear we need new voices and fresh ideas.
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Whether you’ve done political work your whole life or you’ve never given a second thought to politics before, there are plenty of resources for new candidates. You do not have to be an expert or a policy wonk to serve!
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- Laura Dronen, Communications and Digital Director
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District 10 Holiday Bake Sale
Friday, December 1 - Friday, December 15, 2023
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Feeling a bit behind this season? Got a bunch of guests coming over and no time to bake? Do you really love holiday cookies but just don't feel like making any? Leave it to District 10! Order at: secure.actblue.com/donate/d10holiday2023
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We can deliver to the F/M area. All other requests would need to be pick-up only. Cookies will be available between December 19th and 22nd. Please contact [email protected] with questions, or to schedule a pick up time!
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District 12 Winter Blue Dinner
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January 26, 2024 – 6:00 PM
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The Bunker
1520 3rd St SE Jamestown
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Celebrate 2024 and Dem-NPL community! Dinner and drinks will be served, and we’ll hear from guest speakers and enjoy a live auction of locally famous homemade pies.
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Whether it’s an evening gown or crewneck sweatshirt, wear your favorite blue for this fun, family-friendly event to support local Dem-NPL organizing.
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District Conventions
February 6, 2024 – March 16, 2024
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Legislative Districts will have District Conventions between Feb 6 and March 16. Contact your District Chair for information about your district’s convention.
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All districts will elect delegates to the North Dakota Democratic-NPL State Convention.
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Even-numbered districts will nominate candidates for the North Dakota State House and Senate
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North Dakota Democratic-NPL State Convention
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Thursday, April 4 – Sunday, April 7, 2024
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Join us in Fargo for the Official ND Democratic-NPL State Convention!
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Become a delegate and participate in active democracy! We will officially nominate candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Governor & Lt. Governor, State Auditor, State Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, and Public Service Commissioner. Most activities will happen on Friday and Saturday.
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Read what North Dakotans are talking about and learn how news right here in the Peace Garden State is impacting you.
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Press Releases from the Dem-NPL
Help us amplify our message and important issues for North Dakotans today!
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8th Circuit ruling backs tribes’ effort to force lawmakers to redraw N.D. legislative boundaries
Plaintiffs’ attorney Tim Purdon welcomed the Friday decision as a “swift denial” and “good news” for the two tribes and the Voting Rights Act. However, Howe’s appeal remains pending before the 8th Circuit.
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“Given that the Secretary of State’s motion to stay did not argue that the current North Dakota map is legal under the VRA, we are hopeful that the Legislature will reconsider its position here, adopt the Voting Rights Act compliant map that has been proposed by the Tribes and approved by the Court, and stop the spend of taxpayer dollars on this litigation,” Purdon said by email.
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Poll: Teacher retention issue in ND not improving
The North Dakota Democratic Party called Burgum's run for president "a vanity campaign from a bored billionaire."
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"After bribing his way onto the first two debate stages, Gov. Doug Burgum has dropped out of the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary," North Dakota Democratic-NPL Chair Adam Goldwyn said in a statement. "As we predicted in June, Burgum’s presidential campaign was a short one."
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Clock ticking on North Dakota tribal redistricting dilemma
Leaders of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and Spirit Lake Nation submitted written testimony, asking the Legislature to correct its 2021 maps and questioning if members tried to comply with the Voting Rights Act.
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“There is no evidence in the legislative record that the Legislature or the Redistricting Committee engaged a VRA expert to conduct its own analysis, which could have corroborated the Tribes’ analysis and perhaps prevented this violation from occurring in the first place,” Turtle Mountain Chairman Jamie Azure and Spirit Lake Chairwoman Lonna Street said.
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Speaking out: Prichard’s radical stance on initiated measures has no audience in North Dakota
For these reasons, the recently announced position of Rep. Brandon Prichard on the initiated measure process is laughably extreme. The Republican District 8 representative to the state House tweeted on Nov. 7 that “Direct democracy should not exist.” Let’s lay this bare: Prichard thinks that initiated measure processes -- that North Dakotans are hesitant to even modify -- should actually be abolished!
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Tyler’s Take: It’s Not A Joke
Regarding the charges, this wasn’t a book in a library. This wasn’t a drag show. This was a Republican lawmaker who allegedly traveled to engage in illegal behavior with minors. To have the NDGOP State Party Chair in Sandy Sanford dare to claim they have the moral high ground because they were willing to take on book bans and drag shows in the last session, but then turn and crack a joke about actual crimes against children should enrage you. Their prolonged silence spoke louder than the spin.
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It is the attitude, the political spin of these charges, and the excuses that Holmberg did a lot of good for Grand Forks and the state in his official capacity. He potentially used that official capacity to travel abroad while we paid for his activities. That outweighs whatever good was passed in his name.
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Why some are nervous after North Dakota overhaul of state pension board
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Rep. Gretchen Dobervich, D-Fargo, was among lawmakers who opposed changing the board.
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“My concern is that by having a majority makeup of political appointees between the governor’s office and the Legislature, it weakens the voice of people who are appointed to the board to represent the best interests of the beneficiaries,” she said.
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Dobervich was the last Democrat to serve on the PERS board. The new law no longer requires a member of the minority party to be represented. Instead, the governor gained three appointees and legislative leaders added more Republican lawmakers to the board. A retiree and appointees of the attorney general and state health officer were removed.
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Letter: Thank you for the good life, Democrats
For all the great positive achievements in this period, we have to thank liberal, progressive policies of Democrat leadership: Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, LBJ, Carter, Clinton, Obama and Biden, but equally important are the governors, senators and congressmen/women who actually do the detailed planning. Good examples are Sen. Hubert Humphrey and our own governor, Tim Walz. Aren’t we lucky to have had them? Republican conservatives fought every progressive initiative.
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Texas woman who sought court permission for abortion leaves state for the procedure
Chris Fox is the Austin Bureau Chief at CBS Radio based out of Austin, TX. He joins Joel Heitkamp on "News and Views" to talk about the story of Kate Cox and why the whole country seems to be watching her life play out.
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Kate Cox is a 31-year-old mother of two, and filed a lawsuit last week to end a pregnancy she and her doctors say threatens her life and future fertility. The Texas Supreme Court ruled against her on Monday after she left the state to pursue the procedure.
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Tribune editorial: Law goes too far, shields North Dakota officials
The Forum of Fargo requested emails between Holmberg and the late Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, but the request was denied because they are exempt under the law. The Forum was trying to learn why Stenehjem didn’t recuse himself from an investigation of Holmberg by the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Stenehjem supervises the BCI, and was a good friend of Holmberg.
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North Dakota transgender youth traveling to Minnesota for health care
Casas’ North Dakota patients now must travel to his Moorhead, Minnesota office for gender-affirming care.
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Some are driving hours, traveling from as far away as Bismarck, Minot or western North Dakota to see him. Those who can’t afford the trip are simply foregoing the treatment, Casas said in his statement.
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Eddy County Auditor resigns
"This was not an easy decision to make, but I have come to realize that I am not up for running another election or fully committed to the challenges it includes," states Williams in her resignation letter. "I am thankful for the opportunities I have been given to serve the citizens of Eddy County and for your support while doing so."
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How should campus antisemitism be dealt with?
Joel Heitkamp is joined by Dr. Jeffrey Powell to have a conversation about antisemitism on campus after UPenn President, Liz Magill resigned.
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Jeffrey has a doctoral degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership from the University of Northern Colorado and has worked for thirty years in university and college settings. Dr. Powell is a member of professional organizations including the Association of Student Conduct Administrators and the Association of College & University Policy Administrators, and he ran for North Dakota's Secretary of State in 2022.
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Election conspiracy mongers prompt resignation of North Dakota county auditor
The conspiracy mongers didn't get to present to the county commission — not yet, anyway — but they can claim a victory. There is now a vacuum in the Eddy County Auditor's office, which will be on the ballot next year.
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Will an election conspiracy monger fill it?
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You could argue that this has already happened in one of North Dakota's most populous counties. The auditor of Burleigh County, home to Bismarck, is a gentleman named Mark Splonskowski.
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His wife, Alexandria Splonskowski, has a leadership position in an election conspiracy group alongside a man the January 6 Commission subpoenaed for his participation in the now-infamous "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington, D.C.
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Don't miss these national stories!
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Donald Trump's Old Stock Market Prediction Comes Back To Haunt Him
The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record high on Wednesday and prompted critics of Donald Trump to remind the former president of previous comments he’s made about the stock market.
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Then-President Trump warned voters during a 2020 presidential debate with now-President Joe Biden that the markets would “crash” if Biden won.
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Economists now predict the U.S. is heading for a "soft landing." Here's what that means.
Yet so far, the economy has continued to plow ahead, and inflation is retreating faster than some economists expected. Some types of products are even seeing deflation, or a decline in prices compared with a year ago. The Federal Reserve sounded cautiously optimistic on Wednesday, with Chair Jerome Powell saying he was "pleased with the progress" in the battle against inflation and the Fed's goal of keeping full employment.
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Has Social Media Brainwashed You Into Thinking the Economy is Bad?
“People get their news where they get their news,” he added. “So I think to the extent that there is a sort of negativity bias both in the mainstream media and on social media… that could certainly lead—whether it’s intentional or not—it could lead people to have this feeling that things are going worse than they actually are.”
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Biden and Obama team up for Obamacare enrollment push following Trump’s latest repeal threat
“Yes, Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, Bidencare, whatever you call it – yes, it is still a thing,” Obama says. “The other side’s been trying to repeal it every year since it’s existed, but we’ll keep fighting to protect it.”
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“Not just protect it but expand it, saving millions of dollars for working families. We’re covering more people than ever,” Biden adds. The president ends the video by saying, “It’s still a BFD,” a reference to his hot-mic expletive moment celebrating Obamacare’s passage in 2010.
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If Trump Wins: "Inviting the Dark Ages Across the Planet" | Amanpour and Company
Jeffrey Goldberg is Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic. He recently launched a special edition of the magazine, warning of the grave and extreme consequences if Trump were to become president again. He tells the show why a second term would be even more dangerous than the first.
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White supremacist who dined with Trump calls for ‘death penalty’ for non-Christians
The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated Fuentes a white nationalist extremist "who advocates pulling the Republican Party further to the extreme far-right end of the political spectrum. An outspoken admirer of fascists such as Mussolini, Fuentes emerged as an influential figure on the national stage during the now-infamous 'Stop the Steal' movement, which relied on misinformation to falsely claim that Donald Trump had won the 2020 election and sought to overturn the results of it."
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Republicans are trying harder than ever to suppress the youth vote
Mitchell’s plans are being reflected in legislation across the country. A study from the Voting Rights Lab reveals that at least 15 states have introduced or enacted legislation that would make it harder — or even illegal — for students to use their college ID to vote in elections. As Republicans know better than anyone else, elections are won on the margin. If they can keep one young voter from voting, they know it can make or break the election. And as Republicans have demonstrated, they will not back down from their sustained attacks on voting rights — whether they’re on Black voters or on young voters — because that is the only way for them to win elections. They will, quite literally, do anything to achieve and maintain power, even if it means undermining the fabric of democracy: the ability to vote.
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Strong wage growth gave Americans a $1,000 spending boost in 2023
Americans had more money to spend in 2023, a new US Treasury report shows.
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US real wages — wages adjusted for inflation — have risen 0.8% over the last 12 months, according to the Treasury Department's recent research "The Purchasing Power of American Households." The growth is 0.2% percentage points higher than the average annual real wage growth in the 10 years before the pandemic.
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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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Grassroots organizers are the lifeblood of the Dem-NPL! Sign up to volunteer with the Dem-NPL!
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