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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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The weather is heating up and so is campaign season! Check out the many fun events happening in your community!
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- Laura Dronen, Communications and Digital Director
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Upcoming Events!
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District 21 Mother’s Day Bake Sale!
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Purchase a sweet treat for the mothers (or others!) in your life and support District 21 Democrats! All items are homemade by D21 Chair Paula Strom-Sell and are guaranteed to be delicious!
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Meet Candidate for Governor Merrill Piepkorn
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Saturday, May 4 – 12:30 PM
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Second Floor of the Downtown Hugo's
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500 Demers Ave, Grand Forks
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We’re road tripping around the state, shaking hands, encouraging all to Vote Merrill Piepkorn for Governor and Patrick Hart for Lt. Governor. Stop and see us in Grand Forks next Saturday, May 4th.
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Let's Talk Politics – We'll Buy the Coffee
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District 24 Democratic-NPL Headquarters
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200 Central N, Ste J, Valley City
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Our job is to let folks come speak their minds and for us to listen and engage with them. Absolutely nothing is off the table! Whether we’re talking about property taxes, abortion, banning books, agricultural price supports, student loans, foreign policy, healthcare, gun control, developing extractive resources, diversifying our employment opportunities, LGBTQ+ and gender identity issues, the environmental crisis, race, and immigration issues – the list is almost impossibly long! - this forum will be open to anyone wishing to make their views known, without exception.
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The weekly format will allow for open discussion on any subject of interest to people attending, and also to draw a sharp focus on specific issues. Copies of District 24 and the State Democratic Party Platforms will be available, along with a session evaluation form, and the coffee pot will be on.
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District 24 Brunch
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Saturday, May 11, 2024 – 10 AM
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North Dakota Veterans Home
1600 Veterans Drive, Lisbon
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District 24 Democratic-NPL invites you to an elegant brunch at the ND Veterans Home Gazebo with U.S. Senate Candidate Katrina Christiansen, U.S. House Candidate Trygve Hammer, and D24 Legislative Candidates Knut “Pete” Gjovik, Nancy Farnham, and Shawn Olauson. For more information or to RSVP call Charlene Rawson 425-350-4178.
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Dem-Women’s Plus
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Monday, May 13, 2024 – 5:30 PM
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Membership Event for $10.00
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Souris Valley Dems May Monthly Meeting
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Tuesday, May 14, 2024 – 6:00 PM
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Join the Souris Valley Dem-NPL at our May Monthly Meeting! All Democrats and Nonpartisan Leaguers in Minot and the surrounding area are welcome to come and discuss issues and upcoming events.
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We will be meeting at the Parker Center (21 1st Ave SE, Minot, ND) on Tuesday, May 14th. There will be a social from 6PM – 6:30PM followed by the meeting from 6:30PM – 7:30PM.
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We look forward to seeing you there!
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Executive Committee Meeting
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Wednesday, May 15, 2024 – 7:00 PM
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The Executive Committee Meeting for the State Democratic-NPL Party. Every Third Wednesday of the Month
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RESCHEDULED: Souris Valley Dems Saturday Volunteer Door Hanger Initiative
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Saturday, May 18, 2024 – 10 AM
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Main Street Books
8 Main St S., Minot
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Join the Souris Valley Dem-NPL on Saturday, May 18 at 10 AM in Main Street Books as we begin distributing doorhangers to our friends and neighbors in Minot!
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The June Primary Election is fast approaching, and we need to begin getting the word out about our amazing state and local candidates, along with information on how to vote.
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Grab a friend and meet us at Main Street Books. We’ll have lists of addresses to leave campaign literature at – no door knocking required! Coffee and donuts will also be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!
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D16 May Meeting
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Monday, May 20, 2024 – 6:30 PM
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Join us via Zoom on Monday, May 20th at 6:30pm CT for our monthly meeting! All are welcome!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89494198121
Meeting ID: 894 9419 8121
Passcode: 992991
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Grow with Grossbauer!
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Wednesday, May 22, 2024 – 6:00 PM
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You’re invited to join us on May 22nd from 6-8PM for the official launch of Grossbauer for District 42! Enjoy light refreshments and great camaraderie.
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May 25th Williston Area Fundraiser - Districts 2 & 23
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Saturday, May 25, 2024 – 3:00 PM
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5813 Jefferson Ln. Williston
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Join Representative Josh Boschee and our District 2 Candidates Rosemary Tanberg, Betty Dhuyvetter, and Gene Nygaard! More information to come!
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Taco bar will be served with cash bar available.
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Merrill Piepkorn’s 75th Birthday!
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Sunday, June 9, 2024 – 2:00 PM
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Crooked Lane Farm
17385 Co Hwy 4, Colfax
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Enjoy pulled pork and turkey, baked beans, potato salad, summer pasta salad, fresh fruit, bars, cookies, lemonade and water. A cash bar will be available.
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Entertainment by: The Radio Stars and other musical surprises!
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NOTE: Due to limited capacity at the venue, RSVPs will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
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There is no charge for this event, but a freewill donation to fund Merrill’s campaign for Governor is much appreciated.
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Help us spread our message—share these posts from the past week!
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Merrill Piepkorn criticizes negative campaigning
Joel Heitkamp is joined in the KFGO studio by Merrill Piepkorn to get an update on his campaign for Governor of North Dakota. Merrill Piepkorn has been serving in the North Dakota Senate representing Fargo District 44 since 2017. He has the Dem-NPL endorsement for his campaign. He takes calls from the KFGO studio, and shares his take on everything from property taxes to childcare.
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Native lawmakers seek accountability after racial misconduct at school events
Both Finley-DeVille and Davis questioned whether the High School Activities Association’s behavioral policies are being enforced. They said they haven’t noticed a meaningful improvement in students’ conduct.
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“We don’t want our grandchildren coming to your grandchildren seeing this, saying the same thing on this issue,” Davis said. “We are not going to allow this to be kicked down the line for decades of more dialogue.”
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Speaking out: Pro-life hardliners shocked by their stance taken to its logical conclusion
State Sen. Janne Myrdal’s pearl-clutching in response to the pro-life resolution reminds me of Phyllis Schlafly’s disappointment that, after years of championing sexist viewpoints through her anti-Equal Rights Amendment crusade, she had not earned the same political opportunities as her male peers.
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Who knew that the reinforcement of sexist views could keep Schlafly, a woman, from advancement? And who knew that Sen. Myrdal’s years of imposing her hardline pro-life stance on the rest of us would indirectly contribute to a party resolution that takes things too far even for her?
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Armstrong: Ukraine portion of foreign aid package lacked oversight
In a statement, Democratic-NPL Chair Adam Goldwyn criticized Armstrong’s vote against the Ukraine aid, calling the move “cowardly.”
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District 34 Senate candidate: Joshua Johnson
Joshua Johnson has announced that he’s running for the only Senate seat in District 34 — the district that encompasses most of Mandan and the area south along Highway 1806.
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“The people of North Dakota deserve far better than what they are getting from the current majority,” Johnson said. “Integrity must be restored to our legislature.”
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Attorney argues Rep. Dockter was just doing his job with lease, budget votes
The misdemeanor charge against Dockter is based on a statute that states “if as a public servant he takes official action which is likely to benefit him as a result of an acquisition of a pecuniary interest in any property, transaction, or enterprise, or of a speculation or wager, which he made, or caused or aided another to make, in contemplation of such official action.”
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Letter: MAGA is a virus
People of North Dakota need to vote for what is best for our country, even if it means moving away from the way that they have voted in the past. It is the MAGA Republicans, not traditional Republicans, that we must vote out of office if we want to save our democracy. Once the Republican Party has been cleansed of the MAGA leaders, we can again enjoy voting for the party of our choice: Republican, Democratic or Independent.
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Killing dogs isn't a 'farm thing'
It is not an indication of "toughness" or a "farm thing" to kill an animal that doesn't live up to your standards. It's a sign of laziness to not take proactive measures to fix the problem, like rehoming the dog to a more appropriate place, getting the dog better training, or, in the case of a truly vicious animal, having it humanely euthanized.
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Plain Talk: 'I don't look for racism ... but it shows up.'
State Rep. Jayme Davis is a Democrat from District 9A, which covers the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. In the state House of Representatives, she's the minority caucus leader. She wants to do something about the problem of racism at school events.
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"I don't look for racism. That's not something I look for in my daily life," she said on this episode of Plain Talk. "But it shows up."
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McFeely: Noem executes a puppy and brags about it, which is exactly the point
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Cricket, the late female pup, was "less than worthless" as a hunting dog and had killed a neighbor's chickens, Noem wrote, and she "hated it." She wrote that the dog had "the time of her life" as it killed the chickens "like a trained assassin" and that the resulting carnage was like "the scene of a crime."
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Interesting choice of words from a politician in a party that has demonized migrants as "animals" and "not human" and blames them for crime. But we digress ...
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Port: Armstrong's taxpayer-funded congressional messages can sometimes seem like campaign ads
As an example of the latter, Rep. Bob Good, chairman of the notionally conservative House Freedom Caucus and endorser of North Dakota U.S. House candidate Rick Becker, uses a truly egregious amount of franking. At a whopping 297 opinions in 2023, he had the most franked communications of any member of the House, according to disclosure reports. Already in 2024, he's at 126 opinions.
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Marijuana Activists, U.S. Attorney react to reclassification
Schneider says that they focus their prosecutorial resources elsewhere, primarily towards stopping the trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
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“We’re still going to have to make the difficult decisions about how best to apply limited prosecutorial resources and for now on, I imagine, into the intermediate future. It’s going to be focusing on the widespread distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine.”
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Schneider said that his office is focused on targeting organized crime, rather than drug users themselves.
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Burgum gives EV plan the cold shoulder
Merrill Piepkorn, the Fargo Democrat and endorsed candidate for governor responded, “When our universities come forward with new ideas, we should listen. That’s what the Industrial Commission should be looking for—new ideas. We need to consider all of our renewable resources, including solar. That is the leadership that the Governor of North Dakota ought to provide on the Commission.”
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Port: Christian nationalism becoming an issue in a bellwether legislative race
"Finken must be pure satanic to lie like he does. Then he uses Chinese Communist party money and tactics to attack our fellow countrymen so I declare that makes him a communist sympathizer and a traitor," Magrum wrote in an April 27 Facebook comment.
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Don't miss these national stories!
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Biden to announce $3 billion to replace lead pipes
Biden will announce the funds, part of a total of $15 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, during a trip to Wilmington, N.C., to replace these pipes.
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He will also announce the first Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded lead pipe replacement in Wilmington is underway. North Carolina is slated to get $76 million of the total $3 billion being dispersed.
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Kamala Harris says another Trump term would mean ‘more suffering, less freedom’ as six-week Florida abortion ban goes into effect
“As of this morning, 4 million women in this state woke up with fewer reproductive freedoms than they had last night,” Harris said. “Starting this morning, women in Florida became subject to an abortion ban so extreme it applies before many women even know they are pregnant.”
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“Which, by the way, tells us the extremists who wrote this ban either don’t know how a women’s body works, or they simply don’t care,” Harris added.
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Every Awful Thing Trump Has Promised to Do in a Second Term
“MSNBC (MSDNC) uses FREE government approved airwaves, and yet it is nothing but a 24 hour hit job on Donald J. Trump,” he wrote in November. “It is the world’s biggest political contribution to the Radical Left Democrats who, by the way, are destroying our Country. Our so-called ‘government’ should come down hard on them and make them pay for their illegal political activity. Much more to come, watch!”
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Trump doesn’t rule out political violence if he loses, and other takeaways from his Time interview
“Donald Trump’s latest comments leave little doubt: if elected he’ll sign a national abortion ban, allow women who have an abortion to be prosecuted and punished, allow the government to invade women’s privacy to monitor their pregnancies, and put IVF and contraception in jeopardy nationwide,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said Tuesday. “The horrific and devastating stories in states like Florida, Texas and Arizona with extreme abortion bans unleashed by Trump overturning Roe are just the beginning if he wins.”
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Biden administration forgives $6.1 billion in student debt for 317,000 former Art Institute students
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“For more than a decade, hundreds of thousands of hopeful students borrowed billions to attend The Art Institutes and got little but lies in return,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement.
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“We must continue to protect borrowers from predatory institutions — and work toward a higher education system that is affordable to students and taxpayers,” Cardona added.
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Mika: Gov. Noem’s puppy killing scandal is pure MAGA GOP, where ‘cruelty is the point’
Noem’s twisted admission about killing a puppy raises serious questions about the potential VP contender, whose attempt to score political points speaks volumes about Republicanism under Trump. Jen Psaki, Huma Abedin and Symone Sanders-Townsend weigh in on that and how Mika Brzezinski reacted when her own dog attacked some feathered friends.
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Hope Hicks, former Trump confidant, testifies against him in New York criminal trial
Hicks was the ninth witness to testify in Manhattan against the former president. Trump faces 34 felony counts alleging that he falsified New York business records in order to conceal damaging information to influence the 2016 presidential election. Trump claims the trial itself is "election interference" because of how it is disrupting his 2024 bid for president because he must be present in court every day and can't campaign when he is.
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‘Star Wars’ actor Mark Hamill drops by White House for a visit with ‘Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi’
Hamill said Biden told him to call him “Joe,” to which Hamill offered an alternative suggestion: “Can I call you Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi?”
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Republicans assemble oddly insulting set of 2024 candidates with Senate control on the line
Several important swing states, like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, are anticipating hotly contested Senate races, with Senate control among the major stakes of the 2024 election, and yet the Republican Party has fielded candidates for these key races with surprisingly deficient local connections and insultingly flimsy fake biographies. Rachel Maddow reports.
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Biden administration poised to weaken weed restrictions, a seismic shift from decades of harsh policies
Moving cannabis to schedule III will make it easier to research cannabis, something that scientists and public health officials have wanted for years. It also will move cannabis businesses out from under section 280E of the federal tax code, which prohibits them from writing off most basic business expenses and makes it exceedingly difficult to turn a profit.
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Biden expands health insurance access for DACA immigrants
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Previously, DACA recipients were not allowed to enroll in the reduced-cost plans, also known as Obamacare, but they could receive health insurance from an employer, buy private insurance or in some places access programs funded by states and cities.
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"Dreamers are our loved ones, our nurses, teachers, and small business owners," Biden said in a statement. "And they deserve the promise of health care just like all of us."
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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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