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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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CONVENTIONS CONVENTIONS CONVENTIONS! If you've been getting any emails from the State party lately, it is probably about Democratic Conventions!
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The business of a Party Convention is incredibly important. At our State Convention in Fargo we will nominate candidates to carry our Dem-NPL banner through out this election cycle and at the National Convention we will nominate a presidential candidate to take on a Republican Party that has become so extreme it has put our democracy on the brink.
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One of the parts of Party Conventions that offers the most hope though, is the camaraderie and the friendships you build with other Democrats from across North Dakota and across the country. The theme for our State Convention this year is "together, we have the power." Alone, it is easy to feel like the troubles of the world are insurmountable, but it's our goal that when we convene we'll feel empowered to take on the threats we face and foster a brighter future together.
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- Laura Dronen, Communications and Digital Director
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Upcoming Events!
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District 15 Executive Committee Meeting
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Monday, March 25, 2024 – 5:30 PM
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316 4th Ave NE, Devils Lake
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Monday, March 25, 2024 at 10 a.m. at the Liquid Bean Coffee Shop, Devils Lake.
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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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7th Annual Governors Dinner
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Saturday, April 27, 2024 – 6 PM
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North Dakota Heritage Center
612 E Boulevard Ave., Bismarck
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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.
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Vote in the North Dakota Democratic Presidential Primary.
Candidates who will appear on the ballot are:
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Armando "Mando" Perez-Serrato
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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.
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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
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Saturday, March 23, 2024
Polls will be open 10 AM – 4 PM
“Log House” Eagle Heart Community Cultural Center
RWCR+V4 Dunseith, ND 58329
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Sunday, March 24, 2024
Polls will be open 10 AM – 4 PM
Spirit Lake Casino & Resort
7889 ND-57 St. Michael, ND 58370
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State Convention is almost here! If you'd like to be a delegate let us know!
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Already a delegate? Get tickets for our great events!
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Help us spread our message—share these posts from the past week!
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Piepkorn files to run as Democratic-NPL governor candidate
“He knows music, he knows entertaining people, he knows storytelling and those are all really positive qualities for a candidate,” Mathern said.
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He also said he thinks Piepkorn will be able to break through the negative branding Republicans have painted of North Dakota Democrats.
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“As far as I’m concerned, Merrill Piepkorn putting his hat into the ring is good news for everybody,” he said.
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Legislators want more action on racial taunting; NDHSAA leader details strides made in past year
State Rep. Jayme Davis, D-Rolette, this week sent a letter to Fetsch calling for stepped-up enforcement of the relatively new zero-tolerance policy, in the wake of several recent incidents of alleged taunting.
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She called it "a distressing pattern of behavior that not only tarnishes the integrity of high school athletics but also deeply impacts the well-being and dignity of student-athletes, their families, and communities. It is disheartening to learn once again about instances of racial taunting, discriminatory conduct and the failure to uphold respectful behavior in the stands at these sporting events.”
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ARCHIVE - Celebrating 100 Years: Former North Dakota First Lady Grace Link
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Pulled from the archives is Joel Heitkamp's interview with former First Lady of North Dakota, Grace Link. She recently passed away at the age of 105, but this interview took place at the time of her 100th birthday.
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Grace was raised the daughter of homesteaders in western North Dakota. She eventually married one of North Dakota's most revered public servants, Art Link. Together, Art and Grace raised an incredible family, all while they served the state of North Dakota. Art was a state legislator, one-term congressman and governor. And Grace? She was his partner, confidant and best friend. In this interview, Grace talks about her life with pure humility and sprinkles in wisdom throughout. Her advice to all of us having lived to see 100? "I think you need to be true to yourself and your beliefs, and work to make our country better."
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Speaking out: Emails are government records and always have been
Unfortunately, none of this ultimately will matter. The attorney general and Burleigh County state’s attorney have made it clear they aren’t interested in bringing criminal charges in this case. They’ve dragged their feet, passed the buck, stymied investigators, and all but ensured that no one will actually be held accountable. They have no reason to scrutinize a faulty conclusion that charges aren’t warranted. That’s the outcome they’ve been aiming for all along.
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DeMers remembered as ‘a force’ in North Dakota legislative, education arenas
“For decades, she was the voice for so many people who did not have a voice,” Heitkamp said. “She was a legislator that the Democratic-NPL will always be proud to say ‘she was one of us.’ ”
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Several other Democrat leaders also expressed their thoughts through the party’s statement.
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Former U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy said, “Judy DeMers was a leader in improving North Dakota health care for more than 40 years. I worked with her as a fellow legislator and later as an insurance commissioner and congressman. I found her knowledge and counsel to be incredibly helpful as she applied her medical background to creating sound health policy.
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“Judy was selfless, funny and hugely talented. Her impact will long be felt in North Dakota health care. We are all better for her life’s work.”
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Fundraising pitch for property tax measure redirects to Rick Becker's U.S. House campaign
"Have you already signed the petition but want to help us secure enough signatures to get the property tax initiative on the ballot? Click an option below and make a donation of any amount today!" the pitch reads before listing a series of links with suggested dollar amounts for donations.
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Click one of those links, and you begin the process of contributing to Becker's House campaign, not the property tax committee
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Christian Nationalism in North Dakota
Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness is joined by Cody Schuler, ACLU, to discuss a new study that puts North Dakota at the top of the rankings of states that embrace Christion National ideology. We also asked Cody about his letter to the editor about the potential changes to public comment at Fargo City Commission meetings.
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A look back: North Dakota State Mill and Elevator was a shrewd investment for Grand Forks
State ownership of the Bank and the Mill was challenged in the state and federal courts; some believed state ownership was not constitutional. The courts, however, disagreed and the creation of the Bank and Mill and Elevator proceeded.
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In Grand Forks, most businessmen detested the NPL, believing it was a socialist organization and therefore un-American. But, following the courts’ decision, many experienced a change of heart. A State Mill and Elevator would soon be built somewhere in North Dakota. Members of the Commercial Club (predecessor to the Chamber of Commerce), decided that the Mill and Elevator would be a great asset for Grand Forks. It would provide jobs and increase the value of farmland in northeastern North Dakota. Newspapers reported that farmland would increase in value by as much as $35 per acre.
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Don't miss these national stories!
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Elizabeth Warren on MSNBC's Morning Joe on ACA
I love that ad. … We could do balloons and candles, but what Joe Biden is doing in that ad is he’s saying two things: I want everybody in America to understand what’s on the line, this is literally about life and death. And the second thing Joe Biden is doing is saying I will fight, I will fight — not for giant corporations and big insurance companies, not for billionaires who don’t want to have to pay taxes — I will fight for you so that you have health care coverage.
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And that’s true if you’re one of the 20 million people getting their health care through the Affordable Care Act directly, but it’s also true if you’re one of those people under the age of 26 who is still getting health care because you're on your parents’ plan. It’s true if you’re somebody with a preexisting condition. Remember, before the Affordable Care Act, those insurance companies discriminated against women for being women, they discriminated against people with asthma and people with diabetes and people with heart conditions, and all of that has gone away. Joe Biden says ‘I am going to fight for your access to healthcare
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Biden cancels nearly $6 billion in student debt for public service workers
"From day one of my Administration, I promised to fix broken student loan programs and make sure higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity," said Biden.
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"I won't back down from using every tool at my disposal to deliver student debt relief to more Americans, and build an economy from the middle out and bottom up."
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NC GOP voters voice concern over re-election of former President Trump
“The Bible very clearly instructs us to love other people, and when you love them, you don’t talk down to them. You don’t demean them. There is no way that I, with a good conscience, can vote for Donald Trump,” North Carolina voter Llewellyn said in one of a number of ant-Donald Trump videos.
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Republican Voters Against Trump are distributing testimonial video like Llewellyn’s. They feature voters in North Carolina and across the country. People in those videos voted for the former president in the past, but say they won’t do that again.
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Comer Keeps Stepping In It as Impeachment Witness Dishes Dirt on Giuliani
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell explains what voters in battleground states “will lose if Donald Trump wins” the presidential election, which is the most important story this year because what happens in any other story, from Ukraine to Israel, after November 5 “depends on who wins the election.”
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Democratic governors see IVF following a familiar post-Dobbs pattern
“We all either have a friend, relative or we ourselves and our families have used IVF in order to try to have a family. And so we understand that there’s a right that needs to be protected,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in an interview. “And, frankly, it’s shocking that they’re coming after this right.”
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“Republicans don’t understand the storm that is coming,” he said.
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House Republicans Resurrect Plan to Gut Social Security and Medicare
Under the proposed plan, Medicare would operate as a “premium support model,” competing with private companies, giving subsidies to beneficiaries to pick the private plan of their choice. That stratagem is straight from former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s playbook, who proposed the policy while campaigning as Mitt Romney’s vice presidential pick in the 2012 election. At the time, President Barack Obama argued that the plan would “end Medicare as we know it.”
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Outside of fiscal policy, the proposed budget also endorsed the controversial Life at Conception Act, which would grant rights to embryos and likely gut in vitro fertilization nationwide—despite a Republican press run last month to fake support for the procedure.
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Biden campaign fires Trump's lines of attack back at him
The Biden campaign made a statement Friday morning highlighting Trump’s pledge four years ago to the day to “terminate” the Affordable Care Act, roughly 10 days after the World Health Organization formally declared Covid a global pandemic.
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“Four years ago today, Trump was trying to throw millions of Americans off their insurance while Americans were dying by the thousands of Covid-19, even more Americans were infected, and hospitals were reaching a breaking point,” Biden-Harris senior spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement.
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Trump is making the Jan. 6 attack a cornerstone of his bid for the White House
In heaping praise on the rioters, Trump is shifting blame for his own role in the run-up to the bloody mob siege and asking voters to absolve hundreds of them — and himself — over the deadliest attack on a seat of American power in 200 years.
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At the same time, Trump’s allies are installing 2020 election-deniers to the Republican National Committee, further institutionalizing the lies that spurred the violence. That raises red flags about next year, when Congress will again be called upon to certify the vote.
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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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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.
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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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