Port: Maybe don't spike the football on a man's grave

MINOT — State Rep. Josh Christy

tragically passed

away earlier this legislative session. Under state law, legislative vacancies are filled by an appointment made by the local political party the departed lawmaker belonged to.

Christy was a Republican, so last week the District 27 NDGOP

selected T.J. Brown

to replace Christy, and one MAGA-aligned group is declaring victory.

“We are proud to announce that TJ Brown has won the special election in North Dakota’s District 27!” an email sent out by former state Rep. Brandon Prichard states. The email was sent from Citizens Alliance of North Dakota. Prichard serves as the executive director of that group.

“Representative-Elect Brown will proudly serve the remainder of the 69th Legislative Session, bringing a strong voice for liberty to Bismarck.”

“This win is a testament to the power of grassroots support and the growing demand for leaders who put principle over politics,” the email continues. “We need more champions like TJ Brown standing tall for North Dakotans, and together, we’re making that happen.”

There are so many things wrong with this it’s hard to know where to begin.

The gleeful tone in the email is abhorrent given that Brown’s appointment to the Legislature was made possible by the death of a man who had a wife, children and friends who are still mourning him. The email even comes off as critical of Christy, making it seem as though he wasn’t a voice for liberty in Bismarck.

Certainly Christy’s

thoughtful and pragmatic approach to serving in the Legislature,

and his willingness to reach out and work with Democrats, are things Prichard and his ilk find objectionable, even if they’re the pillars of honorable public service. But that doesn’t justify spiking the football on the man’s grave.

Also, this was not a special election. It was an appointment. It’s understandable why Prichard might spin this that way given his abysmal track record as an activist. He, through Citizens Alliance, organized

a brutal smear campaign

against a slate of moderate Republican incumbents in last year’s primaries and mostly lost. Of the 18 candidates Prichard’s group endorsed in competitive Republican legislative primaries,

just four advanced to the general election.

Prichard also lost his own primary campaign.

Citizens Alliance of North Dakota is the local chapter of a national organization. The fundraising Prichard conducted was of dubious ethical founding. He raised funds for a federal political committee called the YR Victory Fund and distributed literature to contributors making it seem as though their donations would support the North Dakota Young Republicans group. But Prichard ultimately

transferred nearly all of the contributions

to the YR Victory Fund (outside of a payment for himself) to a separate federal committee he established for Citizens Alliance.

He then used that committee to campaign against incumbent lawmakers, prompting at least one contributor to

demand her money back.

I should note that I don’t know much about Brown. He may well be a fine choice to serve the people of District 27, but his affiliation with Prichard’s group — in so far as he’s signed a pledge of fealty to the group and its goals — doesn’t bode well.