BREAKING: NDGOP State Committee Shoots Down Resolution on Primaries

December 13, 2018 T. Arthur Mason North Dakota
Representative Kevin Cramer (R-ND), with his wife Kris and sons Abel and Beau, cheer after the party endorsed Cramer for the U.S. Senate race against Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, at the 2018 North Dakota Republican Party Convention in Grand Forks, North Dakota, U.S. April 7, 2018. Picture taken April 7, 2018. REUTERS/Dan Koeck

On Monday, I wrote why I supported a proposal put before the NDGOP State Committee calling for the State Legislature to pass a bill to allow political parties in North Dakota to determine for themselves how they nominate their candidates. Well, as scheduled, the committee met tonight and considered the resolution. And I can now report that it was defeated.

As it stands, a candidate can obtain the party’s endorsement at a convention, but end up not winning the nomination if they’re challenged in a June primary and lose. Many people around the state misunderstood the resolution and claimed that it would eliminate primaries altogether. Among those with this misunderstanding was Rob Port and Scott Hennen. It’s unfortunate that such misinformation entered the debate on this subject. I’m guessing that it had somewhat of an impact on the outcome tonight. And, of course, Governor Doug Burgum and Senator-elect Kevin Cramer’s letter to the NDGOP State Committee calling for a rejection of the proposal probably had a significant impact as well.

The resolution simply called for permitting governing bodies within political parties to determine for themselves, at the district and state levels, whether they would participate in primaries as a means of determining their nominees.

As it stands now, the resolution is dead. As a result, it’s unlikely there’ll be any legislation advocating for this change. But I think we can expect a bill proposing voter registration in North Dakota. We’re currently the only state in the nation without it. And there’s a number of people that have a real problem with crossover voting in our June primaries. Stay tuned.

 

(Note: This article was originally published with the title “BREAKING: NDGOP State Committee Shoots Down Resolution on Primaries”. It has been changed to more accurately reflect “Resolution” instead of “Rule Change”.) 

 

Sources:

  1. https://theminutemanblog.com/2018/12/10/why-i-support-the-ndgop-resolution-to-potentially-eliminate-primaries/
  2. https://theminutemanblog.com/2018/12/11/rob-ports-portrayal-of-ndgops-resolution-isnt-entirely-accurate/
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About T. Arthur Mason 883 Articles
T. Arthur Mason is a native North Dakotan who has spent nearly all of his life in the Peace Garden State. As the third of four children in Western North Dakota, Mason grew to appreciate family and the outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are annual deer hunts with family and friends. In his early teenage years, faith became a central part of T. Arthur Mason's life. He and the majority of his family attend church together on a weekly basis and find this a fulfilling aspect of their lives. Through the influence of his father, T. Arthur Mason became intrigued with politics. As a boy, he attended political events with his father and enjoyed the friendships that resulted as a byproduct of those political associations. As Mason grew older, he became convinced that the quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson was true, "That government is best which governs least." Today, T. Arthur Mason enjoys time with his wife and children, an occasional hunt, and an increasingly active life on the political scene. This blog is the fulfillment of a dream to design a web site in the realm of politics and to advocate for the principles of Liberty and constitutionally limited government. On behalf of all those that contribute to The Minuteman, we hope you enjoy your time on the site and will share the message with others.

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