Plain Talk

MINOT — When you go into the voting booth on election day you have on hand a ballot that has a bunch of names on it. How do those names get there? Most of them are the nominated candidate of one party or another, but if you're an independent, there's a process you have to go through before you can be an option on election day. On this episode of Plain Talk, a Jamestown volunteer by the name of Christian Cairy joined co-host Ben Handon and me to discuss his efforts to get independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on North Dakota's statewide ballot. Cairy said his group, People 4 Kennedy, can begin collecting signatures in January, and have to get 4,000 turned in by September. Those interested in volunteering can email people4kennedynd@gmail.com. Also on this episode, Fargo-based defense Tanya Martinez talks about the Ian Cramer case. Cramer, the son of U.S. Sentator Kevin Cramer, led police on a high-speed chase that resulted in the death of a Mercer County deputy. Some social media commentators have suggested that Ian Cramer may get special treatment because of who his dad is. Martinez says she's seen no evidence in that case. She also answered questions about the charges he's facing, and what the process will look like going forward. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.

This week we got news that the elected auditor of Eddy County, an office that counts local election administration among its various duties, has resigned amid a push by election-denying Republican activists. On this episode of Plain Talk, Sec. of State Michael Howe talked about the harassment and aggressive conspiracy mongering many local election officials are facing around the state. "I'm extremely concerned," he said. "Whether it's an auditor in a small county or people running for the Legislature." He said there seems to be a movement to "push good people out." Howe also answered questions about North Dakota's election process, saying it's "extremely secure." Also on this episode, Friday co-host Chad Oban and I discuss former state Sen. Tom Campbell's aggressive push keep incumbent Gov. Doug Burgum from seeking a third term. We also covered the Williston Shool Board, which survived a recall election pushed by far-right populist activists, voting to keep controversial library books on the shelves. To subscribe to Plain Talk, so you can listen on your favorite device, and be alerted when new episodes publish, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts. Or click here for more information.

North Dakota can sometimes have a reputation as being a sleepy state, but believe it or not, there are a lot of things going on. Trust me. As someone whose job it is to write about what's happening in state an local government, there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to cover all the things I'd like to write or talk about. That being said, a new source for news in the state can't be a bad thing, right? The North Dakota Monitor is a new state-based iteration of a nonprofit news organization called the States Newsroom. They fund reporters in some 38 states who cover politics, courts, government, and other matters. They don't charge for subscriptions, and they don't run ads. Their reporting is funded by donors. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Amy Dalrymple, the former editor of the Bismarck Tribune who is now heading up the Monitor, joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss it. She answered questions about what her organization will be covering, and criticism the States Newsroom organization has taken from media watchdogs like NewsGuard over their nonprofit model. Also on this episode, co-host Ben Hanson and I discuss the NDGOP hiring a new executive director, Andrew Nyhus, and the most recent court ruling about North Dakota's legislative map. District Court Judge Peter Welte is refusing to move a December 22 deadline for lawmakers to introduce a new map. Will the Legislature have to rush into their second special session of this year? Or will an appeal to the 8th Circuit, at the very least, move the deadline? To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.

Congressman Kelly Armstrong is leading a high-profile congressional delegation to an international climate summit in Dubai. It's a really big deal for North Dakota, for American, and for Armstrong, who in a still-young career in the House, has accumulated a not-small amount of clout. He spoke about it on this episode of Plain Talk. "Republicans were late to the game on this," he said of efforts by his party to engage on climate change issues. Armstrong, who is from an oil, gas, and coal-producing state, who has a professional background in the oil and gas industry, says he's looking forward to that perspective being included in climate debates. Why should pro-oil people be a part of that conversation? "Because ten years from now we're going to be using more oil than we're using today," he said. Armstrong also talked about an impeachment inquiry resolution he's introduced which he says will help House Republicans continue their investigation into President Joe Biden and his family's business activities. "It puts us in the best position before the courts to exercise our Article I authority," he said. With Gov. Doug Burgum having ended his presidential campaign, North Dakota's Senators, Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven, have both announced endorsements of President Donald Trump. Asked if he, also, has endorsed Trump, Armstrong said, "I have not." Though, it should be noted, in previous interviews Armstrong has made it clear that if given a choice between Trump and the incumbent, President Joe Biden, he'd vote for Trump. Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the implications of the tragedy involving Sen. Kevin Cramer's son, who, amid a mental health crisis, led police on a chase that resulted in the death of Mercer County Deputy Paul Martin. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.

MINOT — Grants appropriated by state lawmakers have been making headlines recently. They may have funded the travel of a former state Senator now accused of heinous sex crimes. A group of North Dakota filmmakers recently staged a protest in the state capitol over a grant process they say was unfair. On this episode of Plain Talk, state Senator Tim Mathern, a Democrat from Fargo, joined to discuss the issue. "We're going down a slippery slope," he said. Mathern has drafted legislation that would put more reporting requirements on grants funded by the Legislature. He feels like more transparency and accountability would help, though he also argues that part of the problem is Republican dominance in Bismarck. "When you don't have a strong two-party system...we get lax and begin to do things that are edgy," he said. "This has sort of evolved through the years to the point where it's above and beyond where it should be," he added. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.

Redistricting, and in particular, the ways in which federal law and jurisprudence govern redistricting, can be a complicated and nuanced thing. Unfortunately, political debates, particularly these days, are not known for their thoroughness and nuance. Which is why it was disappointing when so much of the reaction to a federal court finding North Dakota's legislative map was illegal under the Voting Rights Act was born of rote partisanship and odious ideological bomb throwing. What the judge ruled in an opinion that is currently being appealed is that while North Dakota lawmakers made an effort to draw a map that was more beneficial for Native American communities, they didn't go far enough. Co-host Chad Oban and I discussed it on this episode of Plain Talk. We also discussed: The debate over a ballot measure to eliminate property taxes. Can the campaign get the signatures? Is yoking that effort to unrelated political causes, such as opposition to vaccines, a good idea? A 2019 law which exempted lawmaker emails with state officials from open records requests. That has hindered media inquiries into the situation around former Sen. Ray Holmberg, who is charged with federal crimes related to sexual misconduct with children. Should the law be changed? A new federal political action committee which will be asking North Dakota elected officials to sign a pledge. A similar group in Idaho punished lawmakers who wouldn't by funding primary challenges against them. Should North Dakota's leaders be signing these pledges? Is there any pledge they make more important than the one to their constituents? If you want to subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.

This week a group of filmmakers representing the bulk of North Dakota's film industry gathered outside of Gov. Doug Burgum's office, in the Memorial Hall of the state capitol building, to make a point about the process surrounding $700,000 in grants made to one Bismarck-based production company. Matt Fern, who is also based in Bismarck, points out that $100,000 of the grants was awarded without being advertised at all. Another $600,000 was awarded after an abbreviated application process that seemed design to serve the interests of just one company. He joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss why that process was unfair, and why, if North Dakota hopes to build a solid film industry in the state, officials need to do better. Want to subscribe to Plain Talk? Search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.

Sometimes politicians are rich when they go into politics. Sometimes they get rich, somehow, while collecting the relatively modest salary that comes with even some of the highest-level elected offices. How does that happen? And why is there such a disconnect between the ardent, eat-the-rich populism of this moment and the success filthy rich politicians have at the ballot box? Matt Lewis, a senior columnist for the Daily Beast and a regular guest on more national programs than I can conveniently list here, is the author of "Filthy Rich Politicians: The Swamp Creatures, Latte Liberals, and Ruling-Class Elites Cashing in on America," and he joined this episode of Plain Talk to those questions, his book, and the state of play in American politics. Also on this episode, my co-host Chad Oban and I discuss polling on property taxes, abortion, and a federal court ruling that North Dakota lawmakers most hold another special session to address redistricting.

New results from the North Dakota poll were characterized by the sponsor of the poll, the North Dakota News Cooperative, as well as many media outlets covering those results, as showing that state lawmakers are out of step with voters on issues like abortion and ballot measures. Of course, in the coming elections, most legislative incumbents will likely be re-elected, so are they really all that out of step? We talked about it on this episode of Plain Talk. We also covered some tough political headwinds the proponents of abolishing property taxes face, and some of the on-going weirdness emanating from Gov. Doug Burgum's campaign for the White House. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Please search for the show and subscribe wherever you get our podcasts, or click here for more information.

I don't think many people were surprised that Gov. Doug Burgum did not take first place in the North Dakota Poll's presidential preference survey. Like it or not, Donald Trump is a singular political figure among Republicans in this moment in history. He makes his own gravity. Of course he was going to be the first choice for president among Republicans. He's also the first choice in Florida and South Carolina, despite the presence of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and South Carolina U.S. Senator Tim Scott in the race. But did you expect Burgum to come in third place? Behind DeSantis? And just a couple of points ahead of Haley? I expected him to do better. We talked about that on this episode of Plain Talk. We also discussed some of the recent off-year elections around the nation, where Trump's populist movement took it on the chin, and what that means for the durability of that movement. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or click here for more information.