Free Republic

MINOT — When state Sen. Merrill Piepkorn, gubernatorial candidate for the Democratic-NPL, joined this episode of Plain Talk with my co-host Chad Oban and me, the first question I wanted to ask him was how he plans to unite North Dakota voters at a time when even Republicans here seem deeply divided against themselves. After a joke about getting to the point right away, Piepkorn said he thinks the right approach is "making the effort" to get to know people and understand their issues. The candidate says one of the challenges Democrats running in North Dakota have is that they...

Former President Donald Trump won the North Dakota Republican caucuses, NBC News projects, defeating former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on the eve of Super Tuesday. He will receive all 29 delegates. With 100% of the votes counted: Trump 84.4% Haley 14.1%

29 delegates

STEELE, N.D. — Three longtime incumbent Republican lawmakers will face challengers in the June primary after the district endorsed three newcomers, the latest example of division within the NDGOP. Incumbents Sen. Jerry Klein, Rep. Jon Nelson and Rep. Robin Weisz attended District 14’s endorsing convention in Steele on Sunday, Feb. 18, but did not seek the endorsement. District 14 Senate candidate Karisa Grothe and House candidates Larry Danduran and Jason Steidl made the case to about 250 attendees that they’re more conservative than the incumbents, who joined the Legislature together in 1997. Attendees voted unanimously to endorse the three newcomers,...

A PAC associated with Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who voted against impeaching DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, could “trigger more blowback from Trump.” NBC News reported on Tuesday that some of former President Donald Trump’s allies and advisers have been stewing over Rep. Matt Rosendale’s (R-MT) likely bid for the Senate to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). Many top Republicans have backed entrepreneur and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy as Rosendale failed to defeat Tester in the 2018 election cycle, during a time that many other Trump-friendly states such as Florida, Indiana, and North Dakota managed to win their respective elections.

Sen. Tim Scott is set to endorse former President Donald Trump on Friday night at a rally in New Hampshire, according to a source familiar with the plans. Scott will be the latest in a string of former Republican presidential rivals to support Trump, following Vivek Ramaswamy's decision Monday to drop out of the 2024 race and back Trump after the Iowa caucuses. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also recently gave Trump his support.

It appears former President Donald Trump and Gov. Doug Burgum’s (R-ND) relationship is strengthening, as the former president said he hopes to have the governor as a “very important” part of his administration. Some in Trump’s orbit are even talking about him as a potential running mate or cabinet secretary, Breitbart News has learned. During his victory speech after the Iowa Caucuses on Monday, Trump had high praise for Burgum, calling him “one of the best governors in the country” and a “solid guy.” Trump emphasized that Burgum had supported him in 2016 and 2020 before declaring he hopes to...

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who challenged former President Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination until late last year, announced a surprise endorsement of his former competitor on Sunday, the eve of the Iowa caucuses. Burgum, who opted against being critical of the former president during his own 2024 bid, made the announcement at Trump’s Sunday afternoon rally in Indianola, located in suburban Des Moines, while on stage with his wife Kathryn. “Today, I’m here to do something that none of the other presidential primary candidates have done, and that’s endorse Donald J. Trump for the president of the...

Donald Trump is making serious headway with a bloc of the GOP that’s among the most skeptical of his 2024 bid: Republican senators. In some cases, Trump is breaking through thanks to the sort of personal attention that he’s known to lavish on allies and supporters. Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), for example, endorsed home-state Gov. Doug Burgum for president in June — but even before Burgum dropped out of the primary, Trump was already in Hoeven’s ear. Trump “called me before” to discuss an endorsement, Hoeven recalled in an interview. The Midwesterner said he told the former president Burgum is...

Controversy is brewing at a ​North Dakota Air Force base after its leadership issued a warning to service members cautioning against attending a downtown rally featuring a pro-Trump speaker.The message, shared with personnel via text, advised individuals to exercise caution downtown and highlighted the potential dangers associated with the “​Dakota Patriot Rally,” which took place on November 17 at the state fairgrounds in Minot.The warning specifically noted concerns of confrontational behavior toward military members during the event. Additionally, the message mentioned that the rally would feature a guest speaker, Tyler Bowyer from ​Turning Point USA, categorized as an “alt-right” organization....

MINOT, ND (KXNET) — A 26-year-old Minot woman, Stephanie Rogers, was arrested on Tuesday after she struck a woman with her car, backed up, and attempted to strike her again back in October. According to an affidavit, the woman whom Rogers hit was arguing with a friend of Rogers in the parking lot of the Ice Cold Ryders clubhouse in Minot. A witness who was present at the incident stated that the woman would not leave Rogers’ friend alone. The woman (or someone associated with the woman) then punched the witness in the face, according to documents. Reports state that...

DICKINSON — A Dickinson woman is currently in custody following a tense situation that unfolded inside a local bank on Wednesday afternoon. According to Dickinson Police Department officials, officers were dispatched to Bravera Bank North, located at 1151 3rd Ave. W., at around 2:25 p.m. in response to a report of a female individual exhibiting erratic behavior within the bank's lobby. According to employees present during the incident, 36-year-old Savannah Fahlstrom entered the bank with the intent to close her account and withdraw her funds. Fahlstrom and an employee of the bank were discussing the process when Fahlstrom began...

BISMARCK, N.D. — A former, longtime North Dakota lawmaker has been indicted on a federal charge alleging he traveled to Prague with the intent to rape a minor. The four-page indictment against former state Sen. Ray Holmberg also charges him with one count of receiving images depicting child sexual abuse. The indictment was filed Thursday in federal court in North Dakota. It accuses the 79-year-old Holmberg of traveling from North Dakota to the Czech Republic from about June 2011 to November 2016 with the intent to rape a person under the age of 18.

A Bismarck man, George Demarrias, pulled a gun on a customer at McDonald’s after the customer refused to buy him a Big Mac and Happy Meal on Saturday. According to the arresting affidavit, the customer was going to the Burnt Boat Drive McDonald’s in Bismarck for lunch around 12:48 p.m. on September 30, when Demarrias approached him asking if the customer could buy him a Big Mac and a Happy Meal. The customer then told Demarrias to “go get a job” and walked into the restaurant. Demarrias followed the customer into the store (which was filled with innocent bystanders, some...

A plane crash in Utah Sunday evening left four people dead, including a state senator from North Dakota, his wife and their two young children, a state official said Monday. The Grand County Sheriff’s Department said the single-engine Piper plane carrying state Senator Doug Larsen, 47, and his family crashed Sunday evening about 15 miles north of the town of Moab, shortly after it refueled at the Canyonlands Airfield. The sheriff's office said the senator was the pilot and all four people on board the plane were killed. "Senator Doug Larsen, his wife Amy, and their two young children died...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has dropped to single digits in New Hampshire’s Republican primary race, the latest Insider Advantage survey found.The survey, which examined the sentiments of 850 likely Republican primary voters in the Granite State, found former President Donald Trump as the dominant frontrunner, having a 28-point lead, garnering 42 percent support.Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley came in second place with 14 percent, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came in four points behind with ten percent support.In this particular survey, DeSantis — who has failed to make a dent in Trump’s lead nationally or in individual...

Shannon Brandt was sentenced to 5 years in state prison on Friday for fatally running over 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson following a street dance. Brandt, 42, ran over Ellingson with his 2003 Ford Explorer on Sept. 18, 2022, in McHenry, North Dakota after an argument, prosecutors said. An arrest affidavit filed by a North Dakota State Patrol officer states that Brandt told a 911 operator that Ellingson "wouldn't let me leave." According to the affidavit, Brandt also told the 911 operator that Ellingson was calling other people to "get him." "He got on my vehicle and I couldn't get him away...

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said on Monday he would not serve as former President Trump’s running mate if the former president were to win the party’s nomination in 2024. “No, I would not,” Burgum, who is also running for president, said in an interview on “CNN This Morning,” when asked whether he would serve as Trump’s vice president. “Happy to do lots of other things. I [had a] fabulous 30 years in the private sector, a lot of opportunities there,” the North Dakota governor continued. Burgum also shot down the suggestion of accepting a cabinet position.

ND investigators found several guns, ammunition, explosives in the shooter's vehicle ... Mohamad Barakat fatally shot Fargo police Officer Jake Wallin and wounded two other officers as they responded to a routine traffic crash. Fargo Police Officer Zach Robinson was able to shoot and kill Barakat before what authorities believe could've been a much bigger attack. Investigators found multiple guns, 1,800 rounds of ammo, a homemade grenade, and explosives in Barakat's vehicle. ... an attack authorities say could have been much bigger. ... Mohamad Barakat, shot and killed Fargo Police Officer Jake Wallin and wounded officers Andrew Dotas and Tyler...

In 2001, Fargo, North Dakota, used the vehicle of zoning ordinances to prevent people from selling guns and/or ammunition from their homes. The ordinance was mostly ignored until some residents renewed their Federal Firearms Licence (FFL) in 2020. Fargo considered changing the ordinance but did not do so. In 2021, North Dakota strengthened its preemption statute to this language: 1. A political subdivision, including home rule cities or counties, may not enact a zoning ordinance or any other ordinance relating to the purchase, sale, ownership, possession,transfer of ownership, registration, or licensure of firearms and ammunition which is more restrictive than...