Plain Talk

U.S. House candidate Rick Becker recently took the unusual step of paying internet personality and trans rights activist Dylan Mulvaney to record a message praising the energy record of his primary rival, Public Service Commisisoner Julie Fedorchak. The message was done tongue-in-cheek -- though it hasn't sat well with some elements of the MAGA movement who take exception to Becker working with Mulvaney in even a joking way -- but Becker used it to attack Fedorchak's record on coal issues. "What’s not a laughing matter is how time and again Julie Fedorchack placed radical green energy proposals above the coal industry here in North Dakota," he wrote. That may have been a mistake. North Dakota's coal industry noticed Becker's stunt, and it has prompted them to endorse Fedorchak in the race. "That is a statement I can't even wrap my head around," Jason Bohrer, the president of the North Dakota Lignite Energy Council and chair of Lignite's political action committee, said on this episode of Plain Talk. "I don't understand where that statement comes from," he added. Bohrer told me and co-host Chad Oban that Lignite doesn't typically endorse in partisan primaries, but they feel this situation is different. "This is a place where we have to be clear," Bohrer said. "We do support Julie." He made it clear that the organization is endorsing Fedorchak in the race. Bohrer said he didn't want to spend a lot of time "attacking" Becker's record on coal issues while serving in the Legislature, but he did say that Becker "has never been supportive" of the industry's priorities on research and development. "We had a group of legislators we would go to for those things," Bohrer added. "He wasn't in it." Also on this episode, state Rep. Michelle Strinden, who is running for Lt. Governor alongside gubernatorial candidate Kelly Armstrong, took questions about being chosen as a running mate, the state of the race, and top issues like education and property taxes. Want to subscribe to Plain Talk? Search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.

A civil war is playing out in the North Dakota Republican Party between traditionally conservative Republicans and MAGA-aligned populists. One front in that war is the NDGOP's legislative primaries, where a group called Citizens Alliance of North Dakota is trying to defeat traditional Republicans. State Rep. Brandon Prichard, a Republican from Bismarck, is the executive director of Citizens Alliance. His group has been sending mailers to voters suggesting that its preferred candidates in the primaries are backed by incumbents who do not support actually them. One of the candidates targeted by these tactics, Rep. Jeremy Olson, a first-termer from District 26 who is seeking another term in the state House, joined this episode of Plain Talk. He called Prichard's tactics "absolutely underhanded and unethical. Also, on this episode, guest co-host Ben Hanson and I and discuss former Fargo Mayor Jon Lindgren's argument that Gov. Doug Burgum is seeking to be disgraced former President Donald Trump's runningmate for the sake of being a moderating influence. Want to subscribe to Plain Talk? Search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.

Julie Fedorchak, Public Service Commissioner in the Republican U.S. House primary, discusses her campaign strategies and responds to a recent poll showing her in a close race with Rick Becker. She emphasizes her consistent Republican background and strong favorability in the polls, expressing confidence in her position. The episode delves into the dynamics of the House race and the importance of bipartisan collaboration in effective legislation.

Pat Finken is a long-time political consultant in North Dakota who now heads up an independent political action committee called the Brighter Future Alliance. Finken and his group have come under fire from U.S. House candidate Rick Becker and his allies for mailers attacking Becker and his voting record. Finken joined this episode of Plain Talk my me and my co-host Chad Oban, and said his goal is to reveal for the public that Becker is a "show pony." "He is not a serious legislator," Finken added. As for Becker's response to his group's mailers? "This is what all politicians do when someone criticizes them," Finken said. "They play the victim." Becker has disputed Finken's assertions that, by voting against budgets for the North Dakota Highway Patrol and the North Dakota National Guard, he opposes law enforcement and the military. He argues that it's possible to object to a budget without objecting to what that budget funds. But Finken says the difference is that Becker was only voting no, not working to improve those budgets. "He didn't come back with an alternative," Finken said. "If he was a serious legislator he would have worked to make changes," he added. Also, on this episode, Oban and I discuss the recent polling released in the Republican guberantorial primary showing U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong with a massive lead over Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller. Want to subscribe to Plain Talk? Search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.

The State of North Dakota is back in court over redistricting. This time, the state is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court decision that the state had previously argued for. Specifically, the dismissal of a lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of legislative subdistricts created by lawmakers in an attempt to enhance the state's Native American vote in two districts. The courts ended up striking down that map anyway and replacing it with a new one, but this separate legal action questions whether creating subdistricts in just two districts passes muster under the 14th amendment's equal protection provisions. Is it constitutional for some North Dakotans to vote for just two members of the Legislature on election day, while others get to vote for three? Robert Harms, an attorney (and a Republican candidate for the state Senate in District 2) joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss the case. Also on this episode, Nick Archuleta, the president of North Dakota United, joined to discuss a recent study looking at teacher pay which indicates that North Dakota is moving down the rankings in terms of average salaries for educators. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.

State Rep. Jayme Davis discusses addressing racism in North Dakota school events. She emphasizes the need for data collection and training for educators. The podcast also explores controversies around electric vehicles and political leaders' behavior. The conversation touches on societal civility, demonization in politics, and reflections on driving an electric vehicle on a road trip.

President of the North Dakota Lignite Energy Council discusses the controversy around the Summit Carbon Solutions project and the North Dakota Republican Party's resolution. The episode also touches on legal perspectives from the North Dakota Association for Justice and the gubernatorial race dynamics around lawyers' remarks.

The podcast delves into the debate over legalizing recreational marijuana in North Dakota, discussing the progress of past proposals and the current campaign by New Economic Frontier. Former mayor Steve Bakken provides insights on the benefits of legalization while highlighting safety concerns with unregulated products. The episode explores public opinion shifts, law enforcement perspectives, and the conservative approach of North Dakota compared to other states. Controversies surrounding church-politics nexus and religious influence on political outcomes are also discussed.

U.S. Senate candidate Katrina Christiansen says the incumbent in her race "isn't that popular." Christiansen is running unopposed for the Democratic-NPL's nomination, and the incumbent she's referring to is Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer, who is seeking a second six-year term. The challenger says she has polling suggesting that only 33% of previous Cramer voters are committed to voting for the incumbent again. "I think that shows the race can be competitive," she told me and my co-host Chad Oban, though she acknowledges that she has her own challenges. "My name rec is not great," she said, referring to name recognition, a common campaign metric, especially for challengers. We talked mostly about the question of federal policy on abortion -- Christiansen said she would vote to "codify Roe" in federal law -- and foreign policy. On the latter, Christiansen said Congress should have passed more aid funding for Ukraine "six months ago." She also spoke strong in support of Israel, though she says she supports a ceasefire. Still, "Supporting Ukraine puts America first," she said. "Supporting Israel puts America first." Christiansen said that if elected, she'll be "a foreign policy hawk." Also on this episode, we discuss the first debate between Republican gubernatorial candidates Tammy Miller and Kelly Armstrong, as well as my story about Miller's running mate, Commerce Commissioner Josh Teigen, and some personal conflicts of interest he had with his work in the Commerce Department under Gov. Doug Burgum's administration. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get our podcasts, or click here for more information.

It wasn't on purpose, but bipartisanship and moderation ended up being the themes of this episode of Plain Talk. Whether we're talking about a Republican Speaker of the House, under siege from the MAGA wing of his own party, reaching out to Democrats to get things done, or democracy engaging on the issue of abortion now that the Roe v. Wade precedent has been overturned, it's clear that process matters. And when we engage in the process, and we have the debates, and we don't let ourselves be derailed by all the various flavors of theatrical obstructionism, the outcomes we get are further from what the extremes might want, and closer to what most of us can live with. Co-host Chad Oban and I talk about renewed controversy about delegate votes at the NDGOP state convention and whether U.S. House candidate Rick Becker's promises to help contribute to the chaos in Congress if elected is going to help him with North Dakota voters. We asked the guest for this show, Sen. Kevin Cramer, about that last point. "I think it's consistent with how Rick Becker has behaved in the Legislature," he said, arguing that Becker's campaign trail posturing is authentic. "It might be a good tactic to being the largest vote getter in a five-way race, he added. But also, "the House doesn't really need more bulls in a China closet," Cramer added. Want to subscribe to Plain Talk? Search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.