MINOT, N.D. — North Dakota’s law enforcement vehicles keep getting darker, and I think it’s because the cops just want to look cool. I arrive at that conclusion because their other explanations for this trend are as nonsensical as they are contradictory. According to a recent report , “the North Dakota Highway Patrol is rolling out…
Port: A state lawmaker got a sweetheart deal from the state and it just plain stinks
MINOT, N.D. — Lawmakers this week received a report about that cost-overrun fiasco in the Attorney General’s Office from state Auditor Josh Gallion’s office. This mess just keeps getting messier. To catch you up, Attorney General Drew Wrigley was appointed to that post earlier this year to replace his long-time predecessor Wayne Stenehjem who had…
Plain Talk: Secretary of state candidates debate election integrity, voting, transparency, and more
MINOT, N.D. — Election integrity is a hot-button issue. Rancor continues around the outcome of the 2020 election, with many claiming that, at least nationally, former President Donald Trump was cheated out of another term in the White House by fraud. North Dakota election officials have been flooded with open records requests from people seeking information to…
Port: Conservatism can’t just be about making liberals angry
MINOT, N.D. — “Piss off a liberal,” the bumper sticker on the pickup in front of me read, “buy a gun.” I spotted this crude bon mot after dropping my kids off at school this week. I was stuck in a traffic jam — or, at least, what counts for a traffic jam in Minot…
Port: Let’s talk about why Cara Mund’s campaign is sputtering
MINOT, N.D. — On Aug. 6, former Miss America Cara Mund announced a campaign for North Dakota’s at-large U.S. House seat as a pro-choice independent making abortion her center plank. The news made a big splash. Some of North Dakota’s top Democrats were so enthused by Mund’s entry into the race that they leaned on their…
Port: Wrigley responds to report about his call for recounts in 2020 election
MINOT, N.D. — The first time I ever met Drew Wrigley, who is currently North Dakota’s attorney general, he pulled out a little baggie from his wallet that contained a small piece of paper in it. It was one of the infamous “hanging chads” from the contested 2000 election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al…
Port: Brett Favre, selective outrage, and our deeply unhealthy obsession with sports
MINOT, N.D. — Brett Favre is getting roasted, and I’m here for it. I don’t bear the man any animosity because of his football career and team affiliations. I’d have to care about football before that could be true. But I will admit to some schadenfreude over the suspension of his SiriusXM talk show , and the…
Port: North Dakota Republicans increasingly getting burned by Trumpy loons
MINOT, N.D. — There are two recent anecdotes that may illustrate some buyer’s remorse North Dakotan Republicans have when it comes to Trumpism. The first is the assault on North Dakota’s Secretary of State’s Office coming from the disciples of pillow salesman Mike Lindell. These mouth breathers, out to find evidence of an election conspiracy they’ve already…
Plain Talk: Are term limits really what’s right for North Dakota?
MINOT, N.D. — It’s been a circuitous route to the ballot for a ballot measure implementing term limits for North Dakota’s lawmakers and governor. State officials maintain that the signature collection process behind it was riddled with fraud, but the state Supreme Court put it on the ballot on a legal technicality, finding that the…
Cayler Ellingson deserves better than to be an avatar for cheap political talking points
MINOT, N.D. — Law enforcement officials investigating the death of 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson are saying they’ve found no evidence of political motivation in the killing. What worries me now is that law enforcement will be harassed by the political demagogues — people emotionally invested in the idea that this death has its roots in President Joe Biden’s divisive rhetoric…