Governor continues predecessor’s kingmaker quest

Once its standard-bearer, North Dakota’s Governor has apparently decided to completely snub his own party and many of its endorsed candidates and elected officials.

North Dakota has had Republican Governors for more than three decades. Most have been the greatest cheerleaders for their party’s candidates, duly endorsed by state conventions and legislative district conventions. 

But that was back in the days of general party unity, when Republican conventions were respected and the candidates they selected were rallied behind. Primary challenges were rare and usually frowned upon. 

The longstanding tradition built perhaps the most dominant political party in the state’s history.

That all changed with the election of North Dakota’s most recent previous governor. After losing the party’s endorsement at its convention in his first race, he only won the Republican nomination in a primary election, with the support of many from the other party (many believe), before winning the general election, arguably as a result of a campaign war chest which dwarfed the endorsed Republican candidate’s coffers.

Once elected, he broke with the time-honored tradition of general party unity and began attempting to select, support and bankroll candidates of his own choosing — those who would apparently do his bidding in their various offices, when elected.

He largely succeeded in those early efforts but they eventually soured as voters in some districts rejected his preferred candidates in favor of their own and the tide began to turn. The candidates he selected, though better financed, were frequently overcome by those the grassroots voters favored.

Political observers wondered if his successor, Gov. Kelly Armstrong (himself a former North Dakota Republican Party Chairman) would learn history’s lessons and return to the time-honored tradition of party unity and gubernatorial party leadership. 

They were encouraged when he was endorsed at the state convention and prevailed in the primary over his challenger. Many were hopeful — after all, he’d warned that electing his Republican primary challenger (his predecessor’s hand-picked successor — former Lieutenant Governor Tammy Miller) would, in effect, be the third term of Doug Burgum.

It may have been a missed historic opportunity to rebuild party unity

Apparently those hopes have been dashed. Instead of seizing upon a rare opportunity to rebuild party unity, the Governor announced, early this year, that he would skip the state’s Republican Convention in Minot. Although stating that it was because he would instead be attending a wedding, it set the pattern and preceded the announcement that all state-wide elected Republican officials would follow suit, including those who are up for re-election.

Rather than North Dakota Republicans endorsing their candidates this year, voters of all political stripes will be the sole deciders, not of whether those candidates are elected in the fall, but of whether they appear on that ballot under the Republican label.

Rumors had circulated and ad campaigns had indicated that the Governor was attempting to pick winners and losers in Republican races. Little doubt now remains that Armstrong appears to be following in his immediate predecessor’s footsteps, much to the disappointment of many who have continually supported him. 

The Bismarck Tribune’s recent headline trumpets “North Dakota governor plans to use $1M war chest to support candidates he trusts”.

This, coupled with the behavior of several other Republicans, including those state-wide officeholders who have vowed to skip this weekend’s North Dakota Republican Convention, raises serious questions about the future of the state’s dominant political party and about the future of North Dakota elections.