Attorney General Drew Wrigley speaks during the NDGOP Region 32 meeting on February 2, 2026 in Bismarck. Wrigley and other Republican state officials said they have not yet decided whether to attend the state party convention and are gathering signatures to appear on the ballot. (Photo by Kyle Martin/North Dakota Monitor)
The campaign season for North Dakota Republican incumbents has a different feel this year, with public officials across the state collecting signatures to appear on the ballot rather than relying on state party support.
The shift comes two years after the party endorsed candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and state school chancellor, only for those candidates to lose in the primaries, which some said illustrated the state’s disconnect with Republican voters.
This year, there were no campaign press conferences held at NDGOP headquarters, unlike previous election cycles.
Incumbents across the state have been largely noncommittal about whether they plan to attend the state Republican National Convention, as more conservative factions control the party.
“These districts are being taken over by the far right and they’re driving out anyone who disagrees with them,” said Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck. try to eliminate The State party approved this process during the legislative session.
state party last summer Elected by a narrow margin Newcomer Matthew Simon was elected chairman, nearly evenly matched with former national committee member Shane Goettle, who worked for U.S. Sen. John Hoeven. At the same meeting, the state passed a resolution expressing “extreme disappointment” in Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong’s veto of the library content bill. They also decried property tax legislation popular with most elected Republican leaders.
Simon received from The rising populist wing of the party said he expects statewide candidates seeking Republican support to appear at the state convention.
“Honestly, this is an opportunity for them to engage with the activists within the party,” Simon said in an interview. “It’s important to empower your base and get them really excited because these are the people who will show up and support you.”
North Dakota Republican Party Chairman Matt Simon speaks at the Greater North Dakota Chamber of Commerce Policy Summit on September 23, 2025 in Bismarck State College. (Photo by Mary Stull/North Dakota Monitor)
In North Dakota, candidates can submit a party’s certificate of endorsement or collect signatures to appear on the ballot. Republicans traditionally seek support from state parties, but there are some exceptions.
State Rep. Ben Kopelman, R-West Fargo, said the NDGOP state committee has long been deeply divided. But he said that until recently, most candidates respected the party’s recognition process.
“If the alternative to a state convention is to convince independents, Democrats and non-party Republican leaners to help you win in the primary, then there really won’t be a Republican Party,” Kopelman said. “At that point, we should stop having a seat on the ballot because no one respects party membership.”
When Kevin Cramer ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, he notably skipped the endorsement process, choosing to run directly into the June primary and defeat NDP-backed Brian Kalk. Doug Burgum also successfully ran in the June 2016 primary after the Republican Party endorsed Wayne Stenehjem for governor.
This year, Attorney General Drew Wrigley, Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, Secretary of State Michael Howe, Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus and Public Service Commission member Sheri Haugen-Hoffart — all Republican incumbents seeking re-election — said they were collecting signatures.
Incumbents told the Monitor that for everyone except Howe, collecting signatures was different than how they handled candidates four years ago.
“It’s a little unpredictable, and I’m not one to let things be unpredictable,” Wrigley said of the state convention process. “To be clear, the Republican-backed candidates emerged from the primaries.”
Wrigley has been attending regional NDP meetings but said he has not yet decided whether to attend next month’s state convention in Minot.
Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus speaks with members of the North Dakota Republican 32nd District during a meeting in Bismarck on February 2, 2026. (Photo by Kyle Martin/North Dakota Monitor)
When asked if he planned to attend the state convention, Crosius said the first step would be to attend a regional convention.
“I’ve been patrolling as much as I can because you’ve got work to do and that comes first,” Crosius said. “But at the same time, you have to prove that you can be re-elected to continue to do this job.”
Howe said he collected signatures in 2022 but ultimately did not submit it because he had the endorsement of the state party. All candidates collected signatures in 2020, when political conventions were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bob Harms, former chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party, said it was “troubling” to see the divisions within the state’s party, especially among its leadership.
Harms said there was a lot of disagreement at the 2024 state convention in Fargo, where some delegates were in attendance. almost shut out Unable to attend due to challenges with district representative selection process. Many also object to the process of endorsing U.S. House candidates in five-way races. Partial representatives Deliberately destroying their votespreventing Julie Fedorchak or Alex Balazs from getting enough votes to gain support. Fedorchak bowed out in the long process and Balazs emerged as the victor. Fedorchak won the June primaryBalazs ranked fourth among five candidates.
Attendees at the 2024 state convention also voted to give A letter of support to Jim Bartlett Public school principal, advocate of the Ten Commandments in public schools. Current Kirsten Besler win by a landslide In the June primary, which was not endorsed by the party, Bartlett came in third.
During the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers debated two bills Trying to change the way candidates enter primaries. A bill introduced by Rep. Nate would require all candidates statewide and in the Legislature to submit signatures for inclusion in the primary election. Nate is one of the current legislators No regional recognition sought in 2024 and collect signatures for the primary election.
“I don’t need a state party,” Nate said.
A competing bill introduced by Rep. Kopelman would eliminate the signature-gathering option and allow only party-backed candidates to participate in the primary. Kopelman, who does plan to run for the state convention, said candidates representing an organization should uphold the values and principles of that organization.
two bills failed in the North Dakota House of Representatives. Kopelman ultimately voted against his own bill and urged his colleagues to do the same, advocating for efforts to get more people involved in the process.
It is unclear whether Fedorchak will attend the conference. Fedorchak campaign spokesperson Kate Roberts said the team is working on a timeline.
Balazs, who is trying to run for the House again, said he plans to run at the state convention but is also collecting signatures and will appear in the primary if he doesn’t get support.
Governor Armstrong will not attend the convention, but he will be best man at a wedding over the weekend. Spokesman Mike Nowatzki said the state parties did not consult Armstrong about the convention date.
Southwestern North Dakota NDGOP District 39 Chairman Jacob Odermann said being selected as a state convention delegate was considered a “hot ticket” in 2022 when he first served as district chairman. That year, the district brought 84 representatives.
Alderman said 14 people had signed up when District 39 held its accreditation convention in late January, but the district continues to recruit.
“Four years on, I think state parties really have to take a hard look and really reflect on how they’re governing,” he said. “Obviously, something has been lost since 2022.”
North Dakota Monitor reporter Michael Achterling can be reached at machterling@northdakotamonitor.com.
Support: You make our work possible
SUBSCRIBE: Get morning headlines delivered to your inbox
