|
|
|
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/.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you haven't requested your ballot for the North Dakota Democratic Presidential Primary, there's still time to do so! You can request it at https://mrgballot.com!
|
It's been thrilling to watch primary results come in. And while many across the nation were focused on Super Tuesday this week, we couldn't help but notice Monday's NDGOP Presidential Caucus.
Despite their appearance of dominance in North Dakota politics, the NDGOP had fewer than 2,000 caucus-goers. This drew headlines like "The NDGOP held a presidential caucus and almost nobody showed up"
We think North Dakota Democratic-NPLers can do better! Request your ballot today to show that you are a reliable, excited voter in 2024!
|
|
- Laura Dronen, Communications and Digital Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Events!
|
|
|
|
|
District Conventions
February 6, 2024 – March 17, 2024
|
Legislative Districts will have District Conventions between Feb 6 and March 17. See below or contact your District Chair for information about your district’s convention.
|
|
All districts will elect delegates to the North Dakota Democratic-NPL State Convention.
|
Even-numbered districts will nominate candidates for the North Dakota State House and Senate.
|
Souris Valley Dem-NPL Monthly Meeting
|
Tuesday, March 12, 2024 – 6:00–8:00 PM
|
|
Join the Souris Valley Dem-NPL at our March Monthly Meeting! All Democrats and Nonpartisan Leaguers in Minot and the surrounding area are welcome to come and discuss issues and upcoming events.
|
We will be meeting at the Parker Center (21 1st Ave SE, Minot, ND) on Tuesday, March 12th. There will be a social from 6PM - 7PM followed by the meeting from 7PM - 8PM.
|
We look forward to seeing you there!
|
Communications Committee Meeting
|
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 – 6 PM
|
The Executive Committee Meeting for the State Democratic-NPL Party. Each Second Wednesday of the Month For more information contact Jamie Selzler at [email protected]
|
Executive Committee Meeting
|
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 – 7 PM
|
The Executive Committee Meeting for the State Democratic-NPL Party. Each Second Wednesday of the Month For more information contact Adam Goldwyn at [email protected]
|
District 11 Meeting
|
Thursday, March 14, 2024 – 5:30 PM
|
1325 23rd St. Suite B, Fargo
|
A meeting of the District 11 Democratic-NPL. Everyone is welcome!
|
District 28 Monthly Meeting
|
Monday, March 18, 2024 – 7 PM
|
The monthly meeting of District 28! Email [email protected] for meeting log-in credentials.
|
North Dakota Democratic-NPL State Convention
|
Thursday, April 4 – Sunday, April 7, 2024
|
|
Join us in Fargo for the Official ND Democratic-NPL State Convention!
|
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.
|
7th Annual Governors Dinner
|
Saturday, April 27, 2024 – 6 PM
|
North Dakota Heritage Center
612 E Boulevard Ave., Bismarck
|
|
Join us to honor Governors Bill Guy, Art Link, and George Sinner with Minnesota DFL Chair Ken Martin! Martin also serves as Vice Chair of the DNC and President of the ASDC.
|
|
|
|
|
Vote in the North Dakota Democratic Presidential Primary.
You can now request your ballots for the Presidential Primary! Ballots can be requested at MRGballot.com. Almost all of the voting is by mail with limited exceptions for the reservations. There will be no in-person voting, except for residents of the reservations where there will be a polling station in place for one day. North Dakota is just one of five states where the state does not run the presidential primary election.
|
Ballots have started to go out and should be requested by March 15, and must be received by Saturday, March 30, 2024.
|
Candidates who will appear on the ballot are:
|
|
Armando "Mando" Perez-Serrato
|
|
North Dakota will send 19 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. This vote will determine the proportion of delegates pledged to each presidential candidate. Delegates to the National Convention will be elected at the North Dakota Democratic-NPL State Convention in Fargo on April 4-7.
|
|
|
|
In-person Democratic Presidential Primary Voting Locations!
Friday, March 22, 2024
Polls will be open 12 – 7 PM
Northern Lights Wellness Center
710 East Ave, New Town, North Dakota
|
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Polls will be open 10 AM – 4 PM
Spirit Lake Casino & Resort
7889 ND-57 St. Michael, ND 58370
|
|
|
|
Get involved in your local district! District Conventions will happen between Feb 6 and March 16. At District Conventions, Even Districts, District 9, and District 15 will endorse candidates for the state legislature. Every district will elect delegates to the State Convention.
|
|
The following is arranged by district:
|
|
Joint District Conventions
Bismarck-Mandan District Conventions
These district conventions have occurred! If you are from Districts 7, 8, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, or 47, and would like to become a delegate or alternate to the State Convention contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
Bismarck-Mandan Democratic-NPL Districts include 7, 8, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 47.
|
Cass County District Conventions
These district conventions have occurred! If you are from Districts 10, 11, 13, 16, 21, 22, 27, 41, 44, 45, or 46 and would like to become a delegate or alternate to the State Convention contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
Cass County Democratic-NPL Districts include 10, 11, 13, 16, 21, 22, 27, 41, 44, 45, 46.
|
Northern Valley District Conventions
These district conventions have occurred! If you are from Districts 17, 18, 20, 42, or 43 and would like to become a delegate or alternate to the State Convention contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
This includes Districts 17, 18, 20, 42, and 43.
|
Souris Valley District Conventions
Saturday, March 9 — 10:00 AM
|
125 35th Ave NE
Minot, ND 58703
|
Tired of the ugly, corrupt, right-wing Culture Warrior extremism taking over North Dakota? The Souris Valley Dem-NPL is here to help.
|
Our District Reorganization and Candidate Endorsement Convention for Districts 3, 5, 38, and 40, is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 9th from 10AM-2PM at the IBEW Local 714 Hall (125 35th Ave NE, Minot, ND) in northwest Minot. Anyone who is a resident of District 3, 5, 38, or 40 who shares the ideals of the Dem-NPL is free to attend and participate. There are no party dues or other requirements for participation.
|
The purpose of our District Conventions is to elect new leadership for each Dem-NPL district organization, endorse candidates for the state legislature, and select delegates to attend the North Dakota Democratic-NPL State Convention. State Representative Joshua Boschee of Fargo will be in attendance as a guest speaker.
|
The leadership of each Dem-NPL district organization is tasked with the important work of organizing fellow Dem-NPLers in the district to help support our candidates up and down the ballot. District 38 and District 40 will be endorsing legislative candidates to represent the Dem-NPL in this year’s elections. Delegates will attend the Dem-NPL State Convention in Fargo from April 4-7 and vote on items like the party platform and statewide candidate endorsements, as well as have the opportunity to meet and socialize with Dem-NPLers from across the state.
|
We hope you'll join us to help bring balance and common-sense back to North Dakota's state government. The Democratic-NPL and citizens of North Dakota need bright, upstanding people of conscience to be involved now more than ever.
|
Bring a dessert to auction off in support of the Souris Valley Dem-NPL before the District Convention Meeting.
|
This includes Districts 3, 5, 38, and 40.
|
Single District Conventions
District 1
Saturday, March 16 — 2:00 PM
Williston State College, 4th Floor of the dorm
1410 University Ave, Williston, ND 58801
|
Join us for the District 1 Dem-NPL Convention! The purpose of this convention is to elect 4 delegates to the State Convention.
|
District 2
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 2 and would like to become an alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
District 6
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 6 and would like to become a delegate or alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
District 9
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 9 and would like to become a delegate or an alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
District 12
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 15 and would like to become a delegate or alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
District 14
Sunday, March 17 — 2:00 PM
Harvey Armory
|
Join us for the District 14 Dem-NPL Convention!
|
District 15
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 15 and would like to become a delegate or alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
District 23
Saturday, March 16 — 2:00 PM
Williston State College, 4th Floor of the dorm
1410 University Ave, Williston, ND 58801
|
Join us for the District 23 Dem-NPL Convention! The purpose of this convention is to elect 2 delegates to the State Convention.
|
District 24
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 24 and would like to become an alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
District 25
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 25 and would like to become an alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
District 28
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 28 and would like to become an alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
District 29
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 29 and would like to become an alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
District 36
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 36 and would like to become a delegate or an alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
District 37
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 37 and would like to become an alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
District 39
|
This district convention has occurred! If you are from District 37 and would like to become an alternate to the State Convention, contact your district chair or complete the delegate interest form below!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Help us spread our message—share these posts from the past week!
|
|
|
|
|
North Dakota Democratic chair calls for immediate release of Stenehjem emails
Democratic-NPL Chair Adam Goldwyn urged the public for continued pressure to investigate the deletion of the emails, which was ordered immediately after Stenehjem’s January 2022 death.
|
“We need to see these emails immediately, they belong to the people of North Dakota,” Goldwyn said in a statement. “The Bismarck good ol’ boys club can’t keep us in the dark.”
|
|
|
|
Prosecutor asks for further law enforcement review of AG building case
A prosecutor tasked with reviewing an over-budget building project pursued by former Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem’s office wants the case to be handed back to law enforcement for further investigation.
|
Wade Enget, the Mountrail County state’s attorney, said he’s received additional information, including the revelation that emails from Stenehjem’s deleted state account had been recovered. But Enget wrote in a letter Wednesday that the new information is outside the scope of his review.
|
|
|
|
Copies of deleted attorney general emails discovered
|
An investigation into former lawmaker Ray Holmberg for alleged child sex abuse led to the discovery of long-sought state emails from the deleted account of former North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.
|
Attorney General Drew Wrigley said in a letter to a county prosecutor that the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation discovered on Feb. 7 that a cellphone extraction software program may have automatically copied and stored the contents of Stenehjem’s personal cellphone.
|
|
|
|
The NDGOP held a presidential caucus and almost nobody showed up
The real loser of the night, however, might be the North Dakota Republican Party. "The caucus attracted 1,933 voters," April Baumgarten reports, citing a press release sent out by the party.
|
That's a horrendous turnout, despite what had to have been a large investment of time and money. The party organized caucuses at no fewer than a dozen locations around the state. Some of them were in private ballrooms, meaning the party doled out cash for the space. And yet, the events drew fewer than 2,000 votes.
|
|
|
|
Todd Reisenauer announces run for District 46 House seat
"We can not look to government to solve all of our problems; however, to solve the complex problems our state faces we need more voices at the table and less divisive rhetoric," Reisenhauer said in a statement. "From attracting and retaining a skilled workforce to ensuring affordable quality child care, strengthening our public school system, and prioritizing access to mental and behavioral healthcare, I am committed to proposing creative policy ideas and fostering bipartisan efforts to improve the economic well-being of our people and communities across the state.”
|
|
|
|
Democrats endorse 3 tribal members in District 9
The tribes argued that under the Voting Rights Act the two reservations should be in the same legislative district. Welte agreed and in January ordered that the state use a new district map with the two reservations in District 9. Native Americans are now a majority in the district.
|
“To know that you are running amongst your peers, I think that also entices people to run for office,” Donaghy said.
|
|
|
|
Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind 'speaks' in new Hulu true-crime show 'Me Hereafter'
Greywind’s death was also the catalyst for former legislator Ruth Buffalo, a Democrat and member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, to push Savanna’s Act to Congress, which eventually passed in 2020. The law is meant to address the crisis of missing and murdered Native Americans by requiring more reporting and consultation between the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Interior and tribes in developing national law enforcement guidelines.
|
|
|
|
State's Attorney Wade Enget speaks to Stenehjem cost overrun review
Wade Enget is the Mountrail County State's Attorney and joins Joel on "News and Views" to talk about the evolving story around former Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem's deleted emails. Wade was appointed to review the Montana Department of Justice investigation into a North Dakota building cost overrun, and says he is not authorized to review new information.
|
|
|
|
Joel Heitkamp and Mike McFeely break down the State of the Union address
Mike McFeely is a columnist for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and former radio personality. He and Joel Heitkamp have a conversation about President Biden's State of the Union address last night, as well as the Sen. Katie Britt’s State of the Union GOP rebuttal.
|
|
|
|
Episode 4: Nearly $2 Million Over
Cozy relationships in state government can lead to cutting corners, sweetheart deals, and in the case of the new Attorney General Stenehjem's building misdemeanor charges. KFGO News Radio dives into the nearly $2 million cost overrun of the newly renovated building leased while Attorney General Stenehjem was in office, and how one loyal lawmaker had the inside track to the taxpayer lease.
|
|
|
|
Episode 5: Wayne Kept EVERYTHING
A rush to delete Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem's emails before open record requests could be submitted has caused a swirl of legal questions into those who made the swift decision. The reason for the deletion? Because Wayne "kept EVERYTHING."
|
But, were those emails and other communications really gone forever? KFGO News radio explores in this episode of Capitol Punishment.
|
|
|
|
Former ag commissioners endorse Christiansen for U.S. Senate
“In the face of immense challenges, our farmers and ranchers and rural communities persevere, but the grip of ‘Big Ag’ threatens their future. I endorse Katrina for election to the U.S. Senate, as she stands for family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. She supports strong antitrust law enforcement and farmer-friendly agriculture policies, not ‘Big Biz,'” said Commissioner Vogel in a press release.
|
|
|
|
Wayne Stenehjem was designated a witness in Ray Holmberg’s child sex abuse case, attorney general says
Wrigley previously told The Forum that Stenehjem did not recuse himself from the Holmberg case, noting that the two were “very close personal friends.”
|
“The status of … him not being recused remained all the way through his death,” Wrigley said Monday.
|
|
|
|
Tyulyandin, Weiss running for District 16 seats
The District 16 Democratic-NPL endorsed Tyulyandin at its convention Saturday, March 2, where the party also endorsed Phillip Weiss as a candidate for the District 16 House seat. The party is still seeking a second House candidate. Republican incumbents Ben Koppelman and Andrew Marschall currently represent District 16.
|
|
|
|
Getting to Know Katrina Christianson Candidate for U.S. Senate
Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness is joined in studio by Katrina Christianson to tell you all about her campaign for U.S. Senate.
|
|
|
|
Fargo's Jessica Arneson seeks District 46 Senate seat
“State policy makers need to do more to improve the capacity, access, and outcomes of human services, particularly in the realms of mental health and addiction services, so that these vital services are available at appropriate levels to meet the dire needs throughout our State,” Arneson said in a statement announcing her candidacy. “We must address the ongoing widespread workforce shortages at the professional level in these fields, as well as for our front-line direct care workers in healthcare, childcare, vulnerable adult care, and special education in our schools. These services are vital to ensuring that our communities are healthy, stable, and safe, something that we all value as North Dakotans.”
|
|
|
|
Opportunities, communication talk shared in Wahpeton
There is a way for the Democrats to win this year’s elections, Mitskog said. It involves talking about the issues that actually affect people.
|
“Our party in North Dakota, we work on issues,” Mitskog said. “We get things done, whether it’s affecting roads, property taxes or schools. We’re not attacking our teachers, we’re supporting our teachers and higher education. We just need to roll up our sleeves and redirect the conversations that we hear on the streets.”
|
|
|
|
Democrat enters race to represent south Fargo in North Dakota House
“We need to make North Dakota a place where people want to stay. That means we need to accept people for who they are, create diverse employment opportunities that appeal to all types of skill sets, and make sure people are able to get the resources they need to start families of their own, building the next generation of North Dakotans,” Thompson stated via release.
|
|
|
|
North Dakota One of The Deadliest States to Work In
Landis Larson, AFL-CIO President, is on Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness to discuss this study.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Don't miss these national stories!
|
|
|
|
|
2024 State of the Union: Biden delivers fiery address and takes swipes at Trump
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers the 2024 State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress.
|
|
|
|
At the State of the Union, Biden Tapped Into His Age as a Strength
“I know I don’t look like it, but I’ve been around for a while,” he said, provoking a laugh (so the camera showed) from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. “I was born amid World War II, when America stood for freedom in the world.” He segued into a précis of his political life, starting when he was a 29-year-old senator. “In my career,” he said, “I’ve been told I’m too young and I’m too old. Whether young or old, I’ve always known what endures. I’ve known our North Star, the very idea of America. … We’ve never fully lived up to that idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either. And I won’t walk away from it now.”
|
|
|
|
President Biden's Energetic State of the Union Brings Him Best Fundraising Hours of 2024 Campaign
A few weeks ago, Republicans, directed by Trump, sank their own border security bill that contained a wish list of GOP security-only proposals, which Democrats helped negotiate as a first step to gain control of the migrant flows at the southern border. But as soon as Trump saw that the bill would pass with majority Democratic support, he knew he would not be able to weaponize the issue with a solution on the horizon. This sorry episode proves that Trump and the MAGA-controlled House leadership are not interested in solutions — only the ability to use the border and immigration as political fodder.
|
|
|
|
Biden caps credit card late fees at $8, probes US healthcare takeovers
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra said the limit on credit card late fees will save American families $10 billion annually, or an average of $220 per year for the 45 million cardholders who are charged late fees annually.
|
|
|
|
New emails show Trump’s stealing the 2020 election was always Plan A
While Chesebro was always measured in his belief that the plans would succeed, the emails released Monday as part of a settlement in a civil lawsuit in Wisconsin show that he was convinced they could succeed. And, more importantly, it was apparent that he believed they should succeed, even if it meant exploiting any and every loophole possible to get around the fact that Trump had gotten fewer votes than Biden.
|
Missouri teachers who support a trans minor's social transition could face felony, be put on sex offender list under proposed bill
|
|
|
|
Jobs growth result of Biden's 'steady leadership': Acting Labor Secy.
"The unemployment rate remains under 4%, so now it's been under 4% for over two years running. It has not been like this for over 50 years," US Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su tells Yahoo Finance's Jennifer Schonberger in Washington, D.C., attributing consistent jobs growth as a product of President Biden's "strong, steady leadership with a vision."
|
|
|
|
President Biden's State of the Union Closing Remarks | Biden-Harris 2024
The issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are.
|
It’s how old our ideas are.
|
|
|
|
Billionaires are Raging About Biden’s State of the Union Tax Proposals
“I grew up in a home where trickle-down economics didn’t put much on my dad’s kitchen table,” the president also recounted in his speech. “That’s why I’m determined to turn things around so the middle class does well. When they do well…the wealthy still do very well. We all do well.”
|
|
|
|
EXCLUSIVE: Biden campaign previews messaging on Trump’s threat to LGBTQ rights
He stressed that these laws go further than targeting the rights of LGBTQ Americans but in many cases seek “to really undermine their existence in public” — and do not constitute “one-off” issues in states like Florida, Alabama or Tennessee, but rather a blueprint for national policy that “Trump and Project 2025 would bring to Americans.”
|
The official added that these right-wing legislators are abetted by right-wing judges, including U.S. Supreme Court justices, who have stated their interest in challenging same-sex marriage and reviving sodomy laws that were declared unconstitutional more than 20 years ago.
|
|
|
|
Jill Biden launches tour by speaking in Tucson on abortion rights, women's issues
“Donald Trump has spent a lifetime tearing us down and devaluing our existence. He mocks women's bodies, disrespects our accomplishments, and brags about assault,” Biden said. “Now he’s bragging about killing Roe v. Wade.”
|
“Donald Trump is dangerous to women and to our families. We simply cannot let him win,” Biden continued. “When our bodies are on the line, when our daughters’ futures are at stake, when our country and its freedom hang in the balance, we are immovable and unstoppable.”
|
|
|
|
Missouri teachers who support a trans minor's social transition could face felony, be put on sex offender list under proposed bill
|
The bill's sponsor, Republican state Rep. Jamie Gragg, told local news outlet KY3 the bill would likely apply to the inclusion of any LGBTQ-related books or signs in classrooms.
|
The bill, introduced in the Missouri House on Thursday, is the latest escalation of legislation targeting the LGBTQ community being seen across the state and country. Missouri has passed several anti-LGBTQ laws in recent years, including a transgender sports ban and a gender-affirming youth medical care ban. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, there are currently 35 bills that would impact the LGBTQ community being considered by the Missouri Legislature.
|
|
|
|
Whew, North Carolina’s Winning GOP Nominee for Governor Sure Has Said Some Things
Robinson, who is also into conspiracy theories, has voiced enough offensive comments for a full accounting to be too unwieldy. But even a sampling of his views like the one below—not a comprehensive list—showcases just what kind of candidate North Carolina Republicans just selected to be their standard-bearer this November.
|
|
|
|
Maddow calls out glaring contradiction in Katie Britt’s GOP response | State of the Union
Rachel Maddow reacts to Sen. Katie Britt’s comments about the border during her Republican response to President Biden’s State of the Union. “She was one of the Senators who was involved in the negotiations to create a border bill. She helped create the bill. And then voted against it when Trump called on Republicans to pull the plug on the bill that they themselves negotiated,” Maddow explains.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
Help us elect great Democrats up and down the ballot!
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Grassroots organizers are the lifeblood of the Dem-NPL! Sign up to volunteer with the Dem-NPL!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
