State And Local Elections

[Odin]

ND voters said 'hell no!' to political status quo

Quote:North Dakota said "no" to the status quo Tuesday, June 14. Wait. It was much stronger than that. They said "hell no!"

When the votes were counted in the spirited Republican primary for governor between Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and Fargo entrepreneur Doug Burgum, the first-time candidate for public office not only won by what qualifies as a landslide, he also delivered a staggering blow to the collective chin of the "good ol' boys" Republican power structure. That good ol' boy rap, combined with Burgum's defining Stenehjem and his supporters as "career politicians," resonated across the state—nearly everywhere.

Burgum won handily in Cass County and Fargo, where, as the hometown boy, he was expected to win. But he also won in unexpected places, including the political "company town" of Bismarck. He won by big margins in big counties and small counties, small towns and the bigger cities, the west's ranch and oil counties and the east's Red River Valley counties. He won in conservative Republican strongholds and in traditional Democratic counties. He won in thriving college towns and in oil communities. He won across the age and gender spectrums.

The embrace of Burgum's end-the-status-quo message has another side. Change. By handing Burgum such a large mandate, North Dakotans signaled loudly and clearly they liked his message of change, even if it was light on specifics. The idea of change appealed. The message that the state has to do business differently caught voters' attention.

But make no mistake about it: Burgum worked as hard as any statewide candidate in recent history to introduce himself and his ideas to as many North Dakotans as possible. The pace of his campaign was as impressive as it was grueling. He was everywhere in the state, making it his campaign mission to visit every county, city, small town and hamlet. It was "retail politics" never before done as effectively. He also spent a few bucks on television advertising and direct mail, and that multi-million-dollar blitzkrieg surely was a vital element in helping North Dakotans in every reach of the state to get to know the new candidate, who was known mostly for his record of business success in Fargo.

North Dakota's Republican establishment took a hit on Election Day. Nearly all significant party chieftains endorsed Stenehjem. Legislative leaders who will have to work with Burgum (it's a given he will beat the Democratic candidate in November) are spitting angry about the way he portrayed them in the campaign. He will have to do the fence-mending.

Meanwhile, Burgum and his campaign team, and the thousands who voted for him, can celebrate what looks to be the start of a new, exciting—and potentially contentious - political era in North Dakota.

Today's issue:

Political novice wins Republican governor primary.

Our position:

Fargo's Doug Burgum sends message to the "good ol' boys."