BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Voters on Tuesday settled a tempestuous Republican primary for North Dakota’s lone U.S. House of Representatives seat and a competitive race for governor, with each winner putting themselves in a leadership position for November’s general election .
Also on the ballot is a high-profile initiative that would ban people from serving in the U.S. House or Senate if they turn 81 during their term.
The Republican Party’s primaries are crucial to winning office in the conservative state, where Republicans dominate and Democrats have not won a single statewide election since 2012. Some legislative races have only Republican candidates this year, and two GOP state officials are unopposed.
North Dakota has no voter registration system; all that is required to vote is an accepted form of identification, such as a driver’s license. Any eligible voter can vote in Republican races as long as they remain with that party on the ballot.
Republican Gov. Doug Burgum, considered a vice presidential pick by former President Donald Trump, is not seeking a third term, and U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong and Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller face off in the primaries . hopes to succeed him.
Armstrong, a three-term congressman, has received support from the state party and Trump. Miller did not attend the GOP convention but has Burgum’s support.
Democratic state Sen. Merrill Piepkorn is also running for governor, as is independent Michael Coachman, who once tried unsuccessfully to get a recall of Burgum on the ballot. Coachman is not on the ballot Tuesday and has not yet submitted any signatures to be on the ballot for the general election.
The next governor will be charged with balancing priorities, spending and tax cuts at a time when the state’s finances are healthy, and will also consider property tax reform, said Jim Poolman, a former Republican state insurance commissioner, lawmaker and party official.
In the race for the House seat vacated by Armstrong, Republican contenders include military veteran and former U.S. State Department employee Alex Balazs; plastic surgeon and former state representative Rick Becker; Julie Fedorchak, former Public Services Commissioner; Williston resident Sharlet Mohr; and Cara Mund, a lawyer and former Miss America who ran unsuccessfully as an independent in 2022.
The relatively little-known Balazs has the backing of the state party, while Trump and Burgum have endorsed Fedorchak, who has won three previous statewide races. Becker, who has created an ultra-conservative faction in the Legislature, has the support of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and other conservatives in Congress. Mund acts as a moderate. Mohr is also little known.
The campaign was marked by harsh, negative ads in a battle of “who can be the Trumpiest,” said Earl Pomeroy, a Democrat who held the seat from 1993 to 2011.
“Have we really just gotten to the point where it’s all some kind of Fox News-driven competition on national, conservative talking points, or is there still an opportunity in a congressional race to talk about tough issues facing the state and who’s in charge? best can tackle them?” said Pomeroy.
Whoever wins for the Republican Party will face the winner of the Democratic primary, between military veteran Trygve Hammer and frequent candidate Roland Riemers.
The ballot measure that would set Congress’ age limit is intended to prevent age-related and cognitive problems among officeholders, supporters say.
Some legal experts see it as a test case for reconsidering a 1995 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on congressional term limits. A state legislative panel added a $1 million cost estimate to the measure, ahead of a lengthy legal challenge.
Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, who is unopposed in Tuesday’s primary as he seeks re-election, opposes the measure, saying voters should be able to choose who they want.
“Arbitrarily limiting those decisions doesn’t make sense to me,” Cramer said.
Despite the decisive nature of the primaries, they historically had low turnout, ranging from 17% to 27% of eligible voters between 2014 and 2022.
