Embarrassing– Thomas Beadle Gains Two More Establishment Endorsements

May 2, 2020 T. Arthur Mason North Dakota
Rep. Thomas Beadle (R - District 27) speaks about the FM Diversion. (Photo via screenshot.)

We’re moving ever closer to the June primary. With the Secretary of State’s office having sent out ballot applications for the mail-only election, it’s crunch time for candidates across the state.

There’s no question that the response to COVID-19 is having a significant impact on the way campaigns are run. With things like going door-to-door and holding meet-and-greets being strongly discouraged, candidates are having to maximize efforts in other ways.

When it comes to the State Treasure’s race between State Representatives Dan Johnston (R – District 24) and Thomas Beadle (R – District 27), we’re now seeing a battle of endorsements. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer and outgoing State Treasurer Kelly Schmidt are backing Johnston. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and Governor Doug Burgum have thrown their support behind Beadle.

What these endorsements illustrate are some fairly serious differences between the candidates. Its most definitely brought a significant rift within the NDGOP out into the light for all of North Dakota to see. Governor Burgum’s endorsement is the perfect illustration of that, as he has been seeking to defeat conservative candidates around the state this year. (For more on that, you can see here, here, and here.)

The most perplexing endorsements in this race came two days ago though. Former House Majority Leader Al Carlson (R – District 41) and current Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner (R – District 37) publicly endorsed Thomas Beadle.

If you support the political establishment in Bismarck — you know, the one that drove up spending to unprecedented levels for over a decade — then these endorsements make sense. To the casual observer, seeing two “Majority Leaders” endorse a candidate might even come across as impressive. But to anyone who wants to “drain the swamp” in Bismarck, this is shameful.

Al Carlson served in the House for 26 years before he was ousted in the 2018 General Election. People had grown so weary of him that out of four candidates, he came in fourth. Even many of his colleagues in the House were happy to see him go. Take it for what it’s worth, but in his last Legislative Session, he scored a paltry 55% with the American Conservative Union. He’s now trying to get back into politics by running for Cass County Commissioner.

Rich Wardner has been in the North Dakota Legislature for nearly 30 years— almost 22 of those in the Senate. While there’s much that could be said about his record, many of us know him best for his role in trying to bring Red Flag Laws to the state during the 2019 Legislative Session. Wardner was one of eight Republicans who signed onto that effort. In fact, eight of the ten sponsors were so-called Republicans. His lifetime rating with the American Conservative Union is 57%.

With these endorsements, we get a clearer picture of what Tom Beadle represents. And it isn’t good for North Dakota. Support like this should be shunned, not embraced. But then again, Beadle has been part of the problem, not the solution. So, I suppose it really isn’t surprising at all.

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Sources:

  1. https://www.johnstonfornd.com/
  2. https://theminutemanblog.com/2020/03/09/u-s-senator-kevin-cramer-endorses-dan-johnston-for-state-treasurer/
  3. https://theminutemanblog.com/2020/04/30/breaking-outgoing-state-treasurer-endorses-johnston-to-take-her-place/
  4. https://www.thomasbeadle.com/post/stenehjem-endorses-beadle-for-treasurer
  5. https://www.thomasbeadle.com/post/governor-burgum-endorses-thomas-beadle
  6. https://theminutemanblog.com/2020/02/24/reports-say-burgum-seeking-to-defeat-conservative-candidates/
  7. https://theminutemanblog.com/2020/04/28/burgum-continues-quest-against-conservative-candidates/
  8. https://theminutemanblog.com/2020/05/01/district-8-house-race-is-burgum-using-former-staffers-to-defeat-an-enemy/
  9. https://ballotpedia.org/Al_Carlson
  10. http://acuratings.conservative.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/07/NorthDakota_2017_web-2.pdf
  11. https://kfgo.com/2020/02/17/former-state-house-majority-leader-running-for-cass-county-commission/985834/
  12. https://theminutemanblog.com/2019/01/15/nd-republican-traitors-stand-with-democrats-on-red-flag-gun-law/
  13. https://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/66-2019/documents/19-0337-04000.pdf
  14. http://acuratings.conservative.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/09/CLA_NorthDakota_2019_web-1.pdf

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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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