Young Republicans Break Ranks & Support Baesler’s Opponent

October 9, 2020 T. Arthur Mason North Dakota
North Dakota State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Kirsten Baesler. It was Baesler who first propagated the lie that the Common Core State Standards were being eliminated. (Photo via screenshot.)

It seems North Dakota Young Republicans have had enough of Kirsten Baesler. As you’re likely aware, Baesler is running for her third term as Superintendent of Publican Instruction. But yesterday the “young professional arm of the North Dakota Republican Party” broke ranks and threw their support behind the incumbent’s opponent— Brandt Dick (pictured below).

The move is unusual— and bold. After all, the party’s State Committee voted back in July to issue a Letter of Support for Baesler.

Way back in March, this same committee voted to cancel the NDGOP State Convention that was scheduled to be held in Bismarck. That move, of course, came a result of concerns surrounding COVID-19.

At the time they cancelled the convention, Baesler was under fire for having been arrested for a DUI. It wasn’t her first run-in with the law. She has a rocky past and an alcohol problem. And many in the party didn’t want to issue a Letter of Support at all. Nevertheless, four months later, the votes were there to do just that.

It’s purely speculation, but had the NDGOP State Convention actually taken place, it’s possible that Baesler would have lost out on the Letter of Support. You see, the delegates to that convention would have made the decision, not the State Committee. And the climate surrounding Baesler at the time was not a pleasant one. She was viewed by many as an embarrassment to the party. It seems the Young Republicans still think she is.

Make no mistake about it, these “kids” have had some influence in North Dakota politics. Just ask U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R – North Dakota), who acknowledged this in a 2018 video.

So, as you can imagine, it didn’t take long for someone to get their skivvies in a bundle over the youngsters getting out of line. District 15 Chair Vonda Markestad fired this message off to them:

Apparently Young Republican leadership was about as receptive to Markestad’s snootiness as they are to Kirsten Baesler having a third term. They took to social media and responded with this:

The District 15 Chair actually asks a relevant question— Do these young whippersnappers know better than those on the State Committee who voted to issue a Letter of Support to Kirsten Baesler? I’d say it seems that they do. After all, they’re not the ones supporting a candidate who has a sordid history, a mugshot, and a less than stellar record as Superintendent.

These Young Republicans give us hope for the future of the North Dakota Republican Party.

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Sources:

  1. https://ballotpedia.org/Kirsten_Baesler
  2. https://mailchi.mp/8a29503fec51/ndyr-endorsements-3575157?fbclid=IwAR0MEn7zR–dj16kfW0letdEk7OecLA59tQGx-m2mr-4ivH79A4o8nxgWxc
  3. https://www.brandt4nd.com/
  4. https://ndgop.org/state-committee/
  5. https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/education/north-dakota-gop-supports-baesler-for-superintendent/article_f565d238-cfb6-5c25-a929-68ab50cbe989.html
  6. https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/north-dakota-republican-party-cancels-state-convention-set-for-bismarck/article_e0c64dab-7927-5d9a-87b5-0cc4a9f797d9.html
  7. https://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/North-Dakota-State-Superintendent-arrested-for-DUI-568237521.html?fbclid=IwAR1tMxiST2qRFIuM8ZzZ_KFXX2vrM0rAXTm4oWzf5kQXLmHO_hy0vtrRyyo
  8. https://theminutemanblog.com/2020/02/29/baeslers-rocky-past-alcohol-use-poor-record-as-dpi-superintendent/
  9. https://theminutemanblog.com/2020/03/05/ndgop-executive-committee-votes-to-nix-dpi-letter-of-support/
  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRXcT0crje8&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3cESg3VdN2JS1OtoONmM-HWyrxb20GCs9OYaZtT7VAPjAn3tLQrALrtwo
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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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