State of North Dakota secondary Archives: on Principles & Values
Doug Burgum:
Reinvented state government amid a $1B revenue shortfall
Burgum is a wealthy former software executive who lost the Republican endorsement but won the nomination in his 2016 primary challenge against Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, the endorsed candidate.Burgum ran in 2016 on a
message of "reinventing" state government amid a $1 billion state revenue shortfall from sagging commodity prices, winning 76% of the vote with Brent Sanford, who is lieutenant governor.
Source: Bismarck Tribune on 2020 North Dakota Gubernatorial race
Sep 16, 2019
Jack Dalrymple:
Vision for ND: opportunity, growth, & responsibility
Let me describe my vision for a growing and prospering North Dakota: - Our formula for job creation can become a model for the nation
- Our young and talented can enjoy a growing number of opportunities that keep them in N.D.
- The graduates from
our schools & colleges will be the best prepared for the high-paying jobs of the future
- We can expect growing cities with vibrant downtown neighborhoods
- We can expect our agriculture to continue to be the most advanced & innovative in the world
-
Our citizens can continue to be among the healthiest in the world
- We can continue to build our reserves, provide tax relief, fund infrastructure and other priorities
- We can show the way for members of Congress to begin a new era of fiscal
responsibility.
I'm asking you now, legislators and all citizens, to commit to these enhanced strategies for growth in the coming decade. We know how far we have come. All of us, working together, will determine how far we will go.
Source: 2011 State of the State speech to North Dakota legislature
Jan 4, 2011
John Hoeven:
Former Democrat until running for Governor as GOP
I'll start by saying something nice about my likely opponent this fall--the very popular governor, John Hoeven. I like John Hoeven, not just as a person, but as a governor. I look forward to working with him during the last two years of the 4-year term
he ran for fifteen months ago. I think we'll make a great team with him in Bismarck and me in Washington. I generally like the policies John has pursued as governor. He was a Democrat before he decided to run for governor as a Republican.
Source: Tracy Potter Speech, "An Independent Voice for North Dakota"
May 11, 2010
Michael Coachman:
Volunteers at prison ministry and Christian school
Michael Coachman, who in 2018 received 13% of the vote as an independent candidate for secretary of state, said Monday he will run for governor in 2020 as a Republican. Coachman was previously an unsuccessful lieutenant governor candidate in 2012 and
2016. He is a retired U.S. Air Force veteran who lives in Larimore. He's a teacher helper at a Christian school and volunteers at a prison ministry."I believe what I'm standing on is what people of
North Dakota is looking for, someone who is going to stand on the Constitution from beginning to end," said Coachman, who expressed confidence in winning the Republican endorsement.
[Primary opponent Doug] Burgum is a wealthy
former software executive who lost the Republican endorsement but won the nomination in his 2016 primary challenge against Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, the endorsed candidate.
Source: Bismarck Tribune on 2020 North Dakota Gubernatorial race
Sep 16, 2019
Michael Coachman:
People should be responsible for their own behavior
Individuals and families are responsible for their behavior.
Public policy should encourage and empower their efforts to provide for their own health, safety, education, moral fortitude and personal wealth.
Source: 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial campaign website
Mar 25, 2020
Robert Marquette:
Only Libertarians can repair damage to the Supreme Court
There has been a lot of political rhetoric out of Washington recently regarding Merrick Garland's nomination to the SCOTUS. President Obama has spent more than 7 years using the Constitution as a pi¤ata, and now he lectures Republicans on their
constitutional duties. Mitch McConnell sites an imaginary "Biden Rule" that magically suspends the Senate's constitutional obligation to advise and consent on the president's nominee. But, this is all just political theater.
Now that we are entering an election cycle, suddenly establishment Republicans play like they are concerned with preserving the rights of Americans and the Constitution.
Enough of the games.
Give Merrick Garland an up or down vote on the floor of the Senate. And remember, there is no damage that establishment republicans and democrats can do to the Supreme Court that can't be repaired by voting Libertarian.
Source: 2016 North Dakota Senate campaign web RobertForSenate.org
Mar 16, 2016
Shelley Lenz:
Says farmers and workers in ND epitomize Democrats
I don't have a party. I'm an independent. That's what Lenz told me. Lenz is a veterinarian from North Dakota who is running for the North Dakota Democratic Party's gubernatorial nomination. She said she wants to declare independence to draw a
distinction between North Dakota Democrats and their national counterparts. "The Democratic party is redefining itself," acknowledging the struggles Democrats have in North Dakota. "How did we lose the farmers and workers? That's who we are."
Source: SayAnythingBlog on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race
Feb 12, 2020
Shelley Lenz:
Running for governor not political, about problem solving
Though Lenz is on the ticket as a Democrat, she calls her platform "nonpolitical" and "independent," and points to her endorsement by the
Nonpartisan League--which she says was founded by ancestors of hers--as proof. "Even though I'm running for governor, it doesn't even seem political--it all seems like big, complex problem-solving."
Source: The Story Exchange on 2020 North Dakota Gubernatorial race
Oct 29, 2020
Thomas Campbell:
Hard work & grace of God made Tom a success
Tom Campbell is a self-made farmer and businessman. Through a lot of hard work and thanks to the grace of God, Tom's lived the American dream.
Now, he's running for U.S. Senate to make sure our children and grandchildren have an opportunity to achieve their own American Dream.
Source: 2018 North Dakota Senatorial websiteTomForNorthDakota.com
Oct 1, 2017
Tracy Potter:
An independent voice; hence a true voice
My district, like North Dakota, has more Republicans than Democrats, and more Independents than either. I won election in 2006 by running a strictly positive campaign and winning the votes of moderate Republicans and doing very well among Independents.
I intend to win this race the same way.Running as an independent voice has for me, as they say, the advantage of being true. My independent nature is well-established and widely recognized in the legislature.
I guarantee that the leadership in both parties in the US Senate will find me as hard to handle as leadership has in Bismarck.
I call a spade a spade and what you see is what you get. I am frank and outspoken. But I am also a happy political warrior.
My New Year's resolution for 2010 is to try to lower the level of anger and disharmony in public life. We can disagree without being disagreeable. I want to do my part to restore some civility to the process.
Source: Speech, "An Independent Voice for North Dakota"
May 11, 2010
Whitney Williams:
Stand on the Constitution from beginning to end
On the Constitution: "I believe what I'm standing on is what people of
North Dakota is looking for, someone who is going to stand on the Constitution from beginning to end," said Coachman, who expressed confidence in winning the Republican endorsement.
Source: Bismarck Tribune on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race
Sep 16, 2019
Kevin Cramer:
FAQ resource on judicial rulings from 2020 election
North Dakotans have frequently asked questions about judicial rulings made in response to the 2020 presidential election. To assist their research, we have created a webpage with some of the most regularly referenced cases:AZ- AZ Republican Party
v.Fontes
- Burk v.Ducey
- Trump for President v.Hobbs
DC- WI Voters Alliance v.Pence
- TX v.PA
GA- Trump v.Kemp
- Trump v.Raffensperger
- Lin Wood v.Raffensperger
- Schmitz v.Fulton Cty BOR
MI
-
Constantino v.Detroit
- Trump v.Benson
- King v.Whitmer
NV- Trump v.Gloria
- Marchant v.Gloria
- Trump v.Cegavske
- Becker v.Cannizzaro
- Election Integrity Project of NV v.NV
PA- PA Republican Party v.Degraffenreid
- Corman
v.PA Democratic Party
- Trump v.Boockvar
- Kelly v.PA
- Parnell v.Allegheny County BOE
- Woodruff v.Philadelphia BOE
WI- Trump v.Biden
- Trump v.Evers
- WI Voters Alliance v.WI Elections Commission
- Langenhorst v.Pence
Source: Senate press release on 2024 North Dakota Senate race
Jul 19, 2023
Katrina Christiansen:
Tired of chaos & lack of results coming from Washington
Former North Dakota U.S. Senate candidate Katrina Christiansen announced another bid for Congress, this time seeking to fill the seat occupied by Sen. Kevin Cramer.Christiansen, an assistant professor at the University of Jamestown, first ran for
elected office in 2022, when the Democratic-NPL nominee challenged Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND. She is the first candidate to formally jump into North Dakota's 2024 Senate race after filing a statement of candidacy earlier this month.
Cramer has not
announced whether he will seek another six-year term, but he brought in nearly $560,000 in campaign donations between July and September. The Republican had almost $2 million on hand as of Sept. 30.
"North Dakotans deserve strong, principled
leadership that prioritizes their needs, and I am fully prepared to take on that responsibility," Christiansen said in a statement. "People are tired of the chaos and lack of results coming from Washington."
Source: The Bismarck Tribune on 2024 North Dakota Senate race
Oct 18, 2023
Kevin Cramer:
Christ is the exclusive source of forgiveness and salvation
Q: Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.A: I am a sinner grateful for a God who loves me enough to die for me. I believe Jesus Christ is the exclusive source of forgiveness and salvation. Every day I strive to be worthy, come up short,
and am thankful my salvation doesn't depend on my works but God's sacrifice. While I fall short of perfection every day, I am not ashamed to proclaim who Jesus is and what he has done for me and others.
Q: What in the nature of mankind caused America's
Founders to carefully limit powers in the Constitution?
A: They understood man's sinful nature and knew that without institutionalizing a set of checks and balances, the concentration of power in one person or body or even political philosophy would
lead to self destruction. That is why our form of representative democracy is based on God's covenantal relationship with us. Self governance is no different than other types of governance in that we want to be led by people of virtue.
Source: Heritage Alliance iVoterGuide: 2018 North Dakota Senate race
Nov 6, 2018
Rick Becker:
Stand against radical distortion of church-vs.-state
Q: RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?A: Separation of church and state simply means ensuring the government doesn't establish and mandate an official religion for citizens to adhere to.
Unfortunately, this term has been hijacked by the radical Left to pursue an agenda that uses the government to attack Christianity. I stand against this radical distortion.
Q: Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
A: Strongly Disagree. Absolutely not. This is fundamentally against the First Amendment rights of Americans.
I will oppose every piece of legislation that requires such mandates.
Q: Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.I believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ. I hold same the Judeo-Christian values that our country's founders held.
Source: AFA iVoterGuide on 2024 North Dakota Gubernatorial race
Jun 11, 2024
Kelly Armstrong:
North Dakota is home to the best people on Earth
North Dakota is not broken. It does not need fixing. We are home to the best people on Earth. The State of the State is as resilient as its people. As we navigate the next four months and the next four years,
our sole focus should be to make their lives easier. To promote policies that make North Dakota the best place to live, work and raise a family.
Source: 2025 State of the State Address to North Dakota legislature
Jan 7, 2025
Page last updated: Feb 06, 2026