MINOT, N.D. (AP) - Oil rich and conservative North Dakota is “paving the way for the rest of the country to go from blue to red,” GOP National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told state Republicans on Saturday.
“You are so blessed to have the leadership you have,” Priebus told about 1,000 cheering delegates and convention-goers at the state fairgrounds in Minot.
North Dakota Republicans wield supermajority control in the Legislature and holds every statewide office except for U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. The state’s robust economy led by oil development has resulted in a record population, the lowest unemployment rate in the nation and thousands of more jobs than takers has made it the “new American Frontier,” Priebus said.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger and Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak did not face any opposition and got the unanimous approval of Republican convention delegates Saturday.
Cramer, a freshman congressman who holds North Dakota’s lone U.S. House seat, bypassed the Republican state convention two years ago and allowed five Republican rivals to fight it out for delegates’ endorsement. Their choice, Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk, lost to Cramer in the June Republican primary.
Cramer, a former chairman of the state Republican Party and member of the state Public Service Commission, drew applause for bashing the new federal health care law, supported by President Barack Obama and approved by a Democratic-controlled Congress in 2010. Delegates also adopted a resolution Saturday to repeal the Affordable Care Act championed by Obama.
The only contested race will be settled Sunday, when delegates choose from two candidates for state agriculture commissioner. Judy Estenson, a nurse and farmer from Warwick, is seeking the GOP nod for the job now held by incumbent Doug Goehring. The North Dakota Farm Bureau is supporting Estenson’s campaign.
Secretary of State Al Jaeger and Public Service Commissioner Kalk do not face any GOP opposition in their pursuit for party endorsements Sunday.
GOP Gov. Jack Dalrymple hailed the state’s success under Republican control and told delegates Saturday if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.
“When you have a strong team on the field that is doing a great job for you, what do you do? You keep your starters on the field as long as the team is doing well,” Dalrymple said. “Let’s keep Republican in change. Let’s keep the momentum going.”
Dalrymple said Democrats are making it their campaign to blast Republicans for ignoring issues brought on by rapid oil development in the state’s booming oil patch in the western part of the state.
“It might have been a clever strategy except for one thing: It’s not true,” he said, citing billions of dollars in infrastructure improvements, affordable housing measures and increased law enforcement.
Dalrymple also said the state is keeping a close eye on the oil industry, despite criticism to the contrary from Democrats.
“We have made the energy industry toe the line again and again,” the governor said.
North Dakota Democrats held their convention last weekend in Fargo, endorsing George B. Sinner for U.S. Congress, April Fairfield for secretary of state, Ryan Taylor for agriculture commissioner, Kiara Kraus-Parr for attorney general, Jason Astrup for tax Commissioner, and Tyler Axness and Todd Reisenauer for public service commissioners.
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