North Dakota

Port: Auditor Gallion, Moms for Liberty get a shellacking in western North Dakota

Published

11 months ago

August 11, 2023

Port: Auditor Gallion, Moms for Liberty get a shellacking in western North Dakota

MINOT — Members of the far-right culture warrior faction of the North Dakota Republican Party attempted a recall of school district officials in Williston, and that’s statewide news.

The NDGOP is now

under the control of this faction,

thanks to district-level machinations where just a dozen or so people can have an impact, but what happened in Williston, one of the most conservative communities in our state, doesn’t portend good things for this movement’s popularity with the larger electorate.

The motivations for the recall election were the usual things. Teachers are groomers. Books should be banned. Not enough religion in the classroom. The Sons of Liberty and Moms for Liberty — the former a far-right North Dakota group that is metastasizing in the NDGOP, the latter a local chapter of a national group — were outspoken supporters of the recall.

Here’s a photo a Williston-based reader sent me of one of the recall activists at work:

Auditor Josh Gallion, who has made it clear that he harbors

few scruples when it comes to using the powers of his office to further his political ambitions,

and who makes a habit of pandering to the culture warriors,

visited Williston ahead of the recall election.

Ostensibly, he was there to present the findings of an audit of a now-defunct school district, but it was a political event sponsored by two local NDGOP districts,

the leadership of which is affiliated with the Sons of Liberty.

Gallion has tried to characterize it as merely an informational event, despite the partisan sponsorship and the scheduling contemporaneous to the recall election, but the aim was clearly to gin up support for the recall election.

And it backfired. On Tuesday, the Williston Herald reported that the incumbents in the race, the folks the Moms for Liberty and Sons of Liberty groups were trying oust,

won by wide margins.

“Considering that the challengers are all strongly affiliated with the Sons/Moms of Liberty groups I personally find this result to be encouraging that they people are paying attention and wanting to see common sense/moderate leadership,” one Williston local told me about the results in the email. “I know it is a small sample but perhaps this is helping to show that the extremes are not the majority.”

I agree. It is merely an anecdote, but it is, perhaps, an instructive one.

The book-banning, LGBTQ-hating culture warriors who are working hard at taking over state politics have been successful in some ways. They now control a narrow majority of the NDGOP’s district-level committees and, with that slim majority, they

put one of their own in as chair of the NDGOP.

They also wield influence in the Legislature, where seats are often won with just a few thousand votes.

But they’ve yet to demonstrate that their issues, and their priorities, are what the majority of the electorate want.

When one of their most prominent leaders, former state Rep. Rick Becker, last year ran as an independent against incumbent U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, who he accused of being a namby-pamby RINO, he lost.

In a landslide.

And not just to Hoeven, but to Democratic-NPL candidate Katrina Christiansen, as well.

Even in Williams County, which is home to Williston and is, again, one of the most conservative parts of North Dakota, Becker got just 25% of the vote to Hoeven’s nearly 62%.

The Trump-aligned populist culture warriors would have us believe that they’re the future of politics in North Dakota. And, again, they’ve certainly had an impact on Republican politics in the state.

But I remain unconvinced that their hateful, nihilistic view of the world is supported by a majority of North Dakota voters.

Rob Port is a news reporter, columnist, and podcast host for the Forum News Service with an extensive background in investigations and public records. He covers politics and government in North Dakota and the upper Midwest. Reach him at rport@forumcomm.com. Click here to subscribe to his Plain Talk podcast.

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North Dakota

West Fargo, two North Dakota tribes awarded $28 million

Published

6 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

West Fargo, two North Dakota tribes awarded $28 million

WASHINGTON (KMOT) – The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded more than $28 million to West Fargo, Spirit Lake Tribe and the Three Affiliated Tribes.

The majority of the funds went to West Fargo for the installation of a road-rail separation with pedestrian, bike and ADA accommodations.

The Tribes were given partial of the funds to design road maintenance and address drainage issues, road widening, and parking accessibility for all.

The money comes from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, or RAISE, grant program.

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North Dakota

North Dakota University System Chancellor moving to another job

Published

13 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

North Dakota University System Chancellor moving to another job

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott will be moving to other job opportunities.

The chancellor released this statement about his work for the state: “It has been wonderful to be the chancellor and lead the North Dakota system for almost a decade. I am proud of the work we have done as a system during my tenure. I look forward to ensuring the continued success of the students we serve by assisting the Board during the upcoming legislative session.”

Hagerott said he will continue to serve the state of North Dakota as a professor of artificial intelligence and human security.

State Board of Higher Education Chair Tim Mihalick said the State Board of Higher Education is thankful for his leadership: “He has provided a systemwide vision to higher education that is student-centric and fiscally responsible. We look forward to continuing our work together through the next year and a half, to include the upcoming legislative session, and persisting in our shared systemwide higher education goals.”

He said his transition to teaching will be beneficial to the state in the future.

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North Dakota

Doug Burgum net worth: How North Dakota governor made his millions

Published

20 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

Doug Burgum net worth: How North Dakota governor made his millions

Analysts think Doug Burgum could be named as former President Donald Trump’s running mate, sparking widespread interest in the North Dakota governor’s life, career, background and finances.

The 67-year-old has governed the state since 2016, but before entering politics he was a well-known businessman and led a software company that was acquired by Microsoft for more than $1 billion. Other business interests boosted his bank balance too; he spent millions on his own White House bid last year, briefly trying to run against Trump before dropping his plans and throwing his weight behind the former president.

Now Burgum’s name has been cited by several political commentators compiling lists about who may be chosen as Trump’s for Republican vice presidential candidate and bookmakers have said the odds are firmly in his favor. Being awarded the role would automatically create a favorite for the 2028 Republican nominee for president if Trump were to win and complete his second allowed term.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum visits “The Big Money Show” at Fox Business Network Studios on June 13 in New York City. Burgum could be named as former President Donald Trump’s running mate, sparking widespread…

Steven Ferdman/Getty Images

With just weeks to go until the GOP convention, political news outlet The Hill said Burgum was in the top three “most likely” contenders, along with senators J.D. Vance of Ohio and Marco Rubio of Florida.

Business magazine Forbes estimated last November that Burgum is a worth $100 million “at least.” The magazine said he is worth much more than his financial disclosures would suggest, though, because some of his riches are likely to have been disbursed in trusts for his three grown children.

The governor had relatively humble beginnings, working in his family’s grain elevator business through school and college at North Dakota State University, then becoming a chimney sweep before entering an MBA program at Stanford University.

Following the $1.1 billion sale of Great Plains Software in 2001 to the tech giant, Burgum became a senior vice president at Microsoft and was awarded more than 1.7 million Microsoft shares, which then were worth roughly $100 million, according to Forbes. He later left the firm and over the coming decades sold stock regularly as well as undergoing a costly divorce from his first wife, meaning that today the Microsoft stock is just a tiny fraction of his overall portfolio and is worth up to a $1 million.

But Burgum branched out into a string of other business ventures. He has also worked in real estate development and venture capital.

Some analysts have said money is a key factor playing to Burgum’s advantage because he appears to have been modeled in Trump’s own image. He has “two things Trump wants: a fat wallet and thick hair,” Bloomberg columnist and former political reporter Patricia Lopez joked in an opinion piece on Sunday.

While the Associated Press said: “Trump likes rich people. North Dakota’s two-term governor is most definitely rich.” Burgum and his wife, Kathryn, who are said to be extremely friendly with Trump and his team, would bring “money and rich friends to the table.”

Burgum has remained tight-lipped about the VP situation, but he has been a regular face on TV screens as he campaigns for Trump.

Trump told reporters in Philadelphia this weekend that he had chosen who he wanted to join him on the Republican ticket for November’s election but added that he had not yet revealed his choice to anyone.

Newsweek has reached out to Burgum via the governor’s office seeking further information and comment.