North Dakota
New North Dakota Republican group aims to push back against far-right faction • Nebraska Examiner
A new North Dakota Republican group has formed to push back against a perceived ultraconservative influence in state politics.
Former NDGOP Chair Perrie Schafer has formed the LegeNDary Fund, which he described in a letter to potential donors as supporting “center-right” Republicans. Schafer wrote that it will become increasingly difficult to win elections statewide and nationally if candidates, elected officials and leaders keep trying to “burn the house down.”
The purpose of the group, he said, is to ensure that North Dakota doesn’t become like other Republican-led states, such as Arizona and Georgia, where, even with legislative majorities, they lose statewide offices and national elections to Democrats.
“What we see happening is when the ultraconservatives take over a state, they take over the state party, but they lose elections,” Schafer told the North Dakota Monitor.
As a result, a majority of the Republican Party became less engaged and started feeling they were not being represented, he said.
“All we’re trying to do is suggest that people from the center of the party get more engaged,” Schafer said.
Schafer was voted out as chair of the NDGOP in 2023 after serving a two-year term and replaced by current chair Sandi Sanford, who won by one vote.
“Some people are going to try to blow it out of proportion saying, ‘this is Perrie Schafer against Sandi Sanford,’’’ Schafer said. “No. It has nothing to do with that.”
He also added, “This is not an anti-NDGOP thing at all.”
Schafer registered the LegeNDary political action committee and LegeNDary multicandidate committee with the North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office.
A political action committee, or PAC, can spend funds on the same things as a political party, said Lee Ann Oliver, election specialist for the North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office.
Sanford said she doesn’t see the LegeNDary political action committee as a threat to the NDGOP.
“That’s fair game,” Sanford said. “There’s different factions on both sides of the aisle that have PACs, that’s fair game in politics.”
However, she added she sees the group as settling more on the center-left than the center-right.
“I’m a middle-right conservative,” she said. “And there’s possibly an ocean between me and the far, far-right.”
Sanford said she’s been trying to unify the party over the last year and the LegeNDary group may have the opposite effect.
She also said it’s unclear what the outcomes of the new LegeNDary group are going to be, but she considered the timing of the group’s launch to be “poor” because of the upcoming party presidential caucuses on Monday and looming statewide NDGOP Convention in April.
“It is an indication that they are supporting the bypass of the NDGOP endorsement,” Sanford said. “And for a former chair to say that he supports the NDGOP, I don’t see that in this effort at this time.”
Schafer served as the Republican National Committee’s Midwest Regional Chair from 2021 to 2022, which represented Republican interests for 14 states. He also served the RNC on the nine-member National Resolution Committee.
Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck, who along with his fellow District 30 Republican incumbents skipped their district endorsing convention to proceed directly to the June 11 statewide primary, said he considers himself a centrist-conservative and sees the new group as a reaction to the increase in far-right candidates, lawmakers and local and state party officials. He added the perceived differences between factions within the party may steer donor dollars to these upstart organizations.
“I think in the past … a lot of this money probably would’ve gone to the party,” Nathe said. “But now, these monies are ending up in these various PACs to support candidates that they want.”
Schafer said LegeNDary is not affiliated with a multicandidate committee registered by Rep. Brandon Prichard, R-Bismarck, under the same name.
This article first appeared in the North Dakota Monitor, a sister site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network.
North Dakota
HIGHLIGHTS: UND scores Alerus Center record 72 points in homecoming win against Murray St.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The North Dakota Fighting Hawks gave the homecoming crowd a show Saturday afternoon, putting together an explosive and historic performance in a 72-35 victory to open Valley play against Murray St.
The 72 points are the most for a UND team both in the Division I era and in Alerus Center history.
Plus, it is the most points the Flagship U has tallied in a game since Sep. 29, 1928, when North Dakota defeated then-Jamestown College 80-0.
It was back-and-forth early, but Head Coach Bubba Schweigert’s team just kept scoring.
”It just got to be one of those games, our offense really countered,” Schweigert said. “We gave up some big plays, and we were able to come back and hit the big pass to Bo early and run the football.
“72 is pretty odd. This is a different game. I’ve done this a long time, and I’ve never been involved in one like this.”
Next up, North Dakota tries to topple North Dakota State for second season in a row when the two teams tango in the Fargodome Oct. 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Copyright 2024 KVLY. All rights reserved.
Filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court
North Dakota
Debra S. Handley, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
Lyle Wayne and Donna Mae Fredericksen, Grafton, Chapter 7
Andrew Palacio Jr., Minot, Chapter 13
Candy Renee Norquist, Fargo, Chapter 7
Nancy Ann Barner, Emerado, Chapter 7
Kelly Tomaino, doing business as Crafting Magick MT and Freyha Spring, Priestess, Wilton, Chapter 7
Melissa Phillips-Adi, doing business as Jamrock, and kStephen Adi, Mandan, Chapter 7
Alicia Anderson, Fargo, Chapter 7
Brandon Lynn Heupel, Glen Ullin, Chapter 7
Christopher Nathaniel Gray, Watford City, Chapter 7
Ladarana Paul Mees III, Bismarck, Chapter 7
Kaitlyn L. and Stephen Kyle Mackert, Bismarck, Chapter 7
Aubrey Danell Lindberg, formerly known as Aubrey Drewlow, Chapter 7
Renae L. Vaith, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
Kristin E. Vetter, formerly known as Kristin Goodrun, Grand Forks, Chapter 7
William Martin and Serenity Carol Walking Elk, Fargo, Chapter 7
Tasha Maria Ramsey, formerly known as Tasha Omer, Fargo, Chapter 13
Minnesota
Bankruptcy filings from the following counties: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail, Polk, Traverse, Wadena and Wilkin.
Sharlene Carol Johnson, Crookston, Chapter 7
Melani J. Smith, Moorhead, Chapter 7
Lynn M. Isensee, Alexandria, Chapter 7
Jonathon David Burgess, Evansville, Chapter 7
Chris A. and Amanda M. Rastedt, doing business as Temperature Matters, Barrett, Chapter 7
Jessica Jo Benson, McIntosh, Chapter 7
Shawn Michael Peters, Perham, Chapter 13
Anthony Daniel Johnson, Moorhead, Chapter 7
Dale A. Herren, Alexandria, Chapter 7
Daniel Ray and Tammy Rene Murdock, Fergus Falls, Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is a petition to liquidate assets and discharge debts.
Chapter 11 is a petition for protection from creditors and to reorganize.
Chapter 12 is a petition for family farmers to reorganize.
Chapter 13 is a petition for wage earners to readjust debts.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
GRAND FORKS — Running as a United States senator is very different from running for the U.S. House of Representatives, according to U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer.
“In the House, we did it all the time, because you’re up for election every two years, so you’re always both campaigning and working,” he said. “The Senate, after six years of not campaigning, it’ll be interesting now just to have a month to do exactly that.”
Cramer, a Republican, is running for reelection for another six-year term. He was first elected to the Senate in 2018, ousting then-incumbent Democrat Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. This year, Cramer faces
Democratic candidate Katrina Christiansen
. The pair will debate on Oct. 2 on Prairie Public.
Cramer won his primary,
competing unopposed during the June primary,
and said that now, with roughly a month to Election Day and voting already underway, he’ll be ramping up his campaign.
“I’ve been very intentional about — and I’ve generally done this throughout my career — setting specific benchmarks and key darts starting when ballots go out,” he said. “I started my advertising on the first day that ballots could go out for absentee (voters).
“Too many candidates that I’ve watched over my career start advertising really early in the year, and they spend a lot of money before Labor Day, which is almost like not spending at all,” he continued.
Ballots for overseas and military North Dakota voters were sent out Sept. 20, but the vast majority of absentee ballots become available Sept. 26. In-person early voting where available generally starts two weeks to a week before the general election, depending on the county.
Cramer said some of his Senate colleagues, like Sen. Jon Tester of Montana and Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who are also running for reelection, have been advertising for well over a year. He doesn’t view that as being as helpful as focusing on the month before the election.
“We’ve got a pretty complete plan that is already fully funded and now in motion for the next six weeks,” Cramer said.
This is Cramer’s first reelection for the Senate seat. Cramer was first elected to federal office in 2012 and served three terms in the House as North Dakota’s sole representative. Being in the Senate allows him to do more work that focuses on the state, he said.
“In North Dakota, we have the great blessing of being a small state with two senators, rather than a very large state with two senators,” he said. “That affords people like me that for six years, you do your job, and if you’re transparent and you’re able to talk to the media and talk to your constituents, it makes campaigning a lot easier.”
Having some competition in the race is a good thing, Cramer said.
“She seems to be better prepared — and you would be,” he said, referring to the fact that Christiansen has run multiple campaigns now. “I lost three elections before I started winning them, and so you do get better each time. She dives real into the deep end, and I think it makes for a much more interesting campaign. I think it’s better for all of us.”
Voigt covers government in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.
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