‘Governor StrongArm’?

As Governor Kelly Armstrong’s bankrolling of several candidates who are not endorsed by the Republican Party became public record this week, a new moniker began floating around in political circles: “Governor StrongArm.”

Governors have long supported candidates, or so went the damage control espoused by long-time (now reportedly “retired”) campaign operative Pat Finken, according to a story by the North Dakota Monitor.

What the backpedaling misses, or avoids, is the fact that most North Dakota Republican Governors preceding Doug Burgum were the loudest cheerleaders for their Party’s candidates of all stripes, at all levels, not the architects of efforts to defeat them. 

During campaign season, such gubernatorial involvement typically came at general election time when Republican candidates faced off against opponents in the Democrats’ column. Governors would often, predictably, endorse and support endorsed candidates because Party endorsements at the state and district level were respected and primary challenges were rare and seldom successful.

Burgum broke the mold by attempting to pick winners and losers among Republican candidates for the Legislature and, at times, attempting to unseat legislators — fellow Republicans — by supporting their challengers, but most party faithful had hoped that kind of disruption and division from the governor’s office would end with his departure. Some perhaps failed to support his hand-picked successor — former Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller — for that very reason, favoring, instead, former legislator, former state party chairman, former congressman, Kelly Armstrong who had warned against as much.

Ironically, those are likely among the most disillusioned of North Dakota Republicans, these days.

Those washing their hands of the Republican Party in North Dakota this year complain about a “takeover” by the “far right” (read libertarians) and there is some voracity in that concern, but where has the “big tent” mantra, espoused for decades by Republicans gone? Efforts to close ranks around common principles which unite those in that Party, despite differences on some issues, have apparently disappeared in favor of drawing lines in the sand and deepening divisions.

Bankrolling the unendorsed

In three legislative districts, specifically, — Minot’s District 3, Bismarck’s District 7, and West Fargo’s District 13 — candidates who are running without their party’s endorsement, against endorsed Republican candidates, apparently hope to skate into office on the strength of the Governor’s “endorsement” and his money. 

In District 13 (where the Governor has already dished out nearly $20,000), this involves three unendorsed incumbents who, after years of committed involvement in their party, skipped its endorsing convention, apparently for fear of losing there, and obtained slots on the primary ballot by gathering signatures.  In other Districts, the Governor is shoveling large sums of money toward challengers that he seemingly hopes will unseat incumbent legislators of his own party who he apparently doesn’t like. 

One can only imagine how this will damage future working relationships between the Republican Legislature and the Republican Governor.

With the state’s Republican Party in complete disarray and apparently bent upon destroying itself, this year would be a golden opportunity for the opposition to make significant gains. Traditional, more moderate Democrats (once common in North Dakota) could likely do that in this climate but they, too, are virtually extinct since their Party has veered so severely left in recent years.

Indeed, party politics in North Dakota this year is, if nothing else, entertaining theater. Sadly, it could have a lasting negative impact not only upon a Party, but also upon the state’s governance and public policy.