Earlier today I noted that Doug Burgum had made the first television buy in North Dakota’s gubernatorial race. The campaign isn’t responding to my inquiries, but I’m told that it was a $150,000 buy for 30 and 60 second spots on statewide television. The campaign has sent out a press release (below) linking to the…
North Dakota's Most Popular Political Blog Has A New Home
I have some big news to announce today. I have gone to work for the Forum Communications Company. This blog, which over the last dozen years has become an epicenter for politics in North Dakota, is now being hosted by FCC. You’ve probably noticed over the last 24 hours or so that things have seemed…
John Andrist: NDGOP's Gubernatorial Debate Does North Dakota Proud
It was good to listen to North Dakota’s governor hopefuls in a so-called debate last week. I’m not sure it was a real debate, because the three hopefuls were polite. They answered the questions, and they seemed to be primarily concerned with getting their points across without being disrespectful or nasty. There were no personal…
Donald Trump Wins North Dakota Straw Poll
North Dakota’s Republicans didn’t hold a primary or a caucus this election cycle for reasons that are a little difficult to fathom. Some in the state party argue that it’s better for our states delegates, selected at the NDGOP’s statewide convention, to participate in the national convention without being bound by a vote to any…
Williston City Leaders Take A Shameful Stand Against "Man Camps"
In Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged the author invented something called the “anti-dog-eat-dog” rule. In the story, the characters create it to stop “destructive competition” between railroad companies. Rand intended the law to be a satire of companies which seek to maintain their market share not by managing their businesses well but by getting the government…
Can Democrats Put Doug Burgum Over The Top In An Open Republican Primary?
Back in January, shortly after Doug Burgum announced his campaign for governor, I wrote that years of incompetence by North Dakota Democrats might actually be a boon for him. North Dakota has no voter registration and a wide open primary ballot. Democrats can vote for Republican candidates, and with Democrats unlikely to field competitive nomination…
Minnesota Obamacare Enrollees Surprised To Find Their "Free" Insurance Is Costing Them A Tax Lien
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, Robert Heinlein wrote. Some people who signed up for Obamacare through the State of Minnesota’s insurance exchange are finding that out the hard way. They thought they were getting something for free. It turns out it’s costing them big, in the form of a tax lien on their…
Is Wayne Stenehjem Willing To Take On The Whole Problem With Skyrocketing Incarceration Rates?
So far the NDGOP’s gubernatorial nomination race (which will likely pick North Dakota’s next governor given the near total abdication of relevance by the Democrats) has been long on ideological rhetoric and somewhat short on policy specifics. But Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem just brought up a very substantive issue on the campaign trail. Namely, prison…
Heidi Heitkamp's Favorite Presidential Candidate Wants To Basically Ban Fracking
The key to Senator Heidi Heitkamp’s political success in North Dakota is her posturing as a moderate. And the policy area where she does the most posturing is on the topic of energy. And yet, the presidential candidates she supports – not to mention her own actions, indirectly – keep undermining North Dakota’s energy interests.…
Have North Dakota's State Agencies Have Figured Out That The Oil Boom Is Over Yet?
North Dakota’s oil boom is over. In fact, it’s been over for a while. Drilling activity is down. Commerce is slowing. Workers who came here to get oil industry jobs, and related employment, are now seeking their fortunes elsewhere. While the word “bust” isn’t an accurate description, it is a significant change from the last…