Democrats Welcome New, Young Crowd

Democratic District Conventions kick off across the state and right here in Fargo.

More than 200 people filled Ben Franklin Middle School to nominate districts legislative candidates.

But as it turns out many just want their voices heard, and representatives were excited to listen.
 
“A lot of people like to talk and what they have said is that the North Dakota democratic party is dead and I think today we showed with the approximately 200 plus people that are here the energy the momentum that that is far from the truth,” says District 16 State Senator Tyler Axness.
 
A momentum that can be owed to the newbies in the room.

More than half of those in attendance were first timers to the convention.
 
“There are a lot of new people interested in changing the course of North Dakota and preserving our priorities when it comes to difficult decisions that are going to have to be made,” says Axness.
 
And democrats want to build that momentum even more: from now until November.
 
“We’re seeing candidates step up in rural North Dakota for a variety of positions like the legislature so it just continues to be energetic,” says District 44 State Representative Joshua Boschee.
 
An energy that Karla Rose Hanson hopes to join.

Hanson was just nominated as a candidate for District 44.
 
“I think my neighbors deserve a leader who will sit at the table and represent the families of North Dakota and not the out of state oil companies,” says District 44 candidate Carla Rose Hanson.
 
And from a record budget surplus, the state now faces some serious budget cuts and democrats say they want to make sure of one thing.
 
“We need to make sure that the programs that are vital to North Dakota’s working families stay intact,” says Axness.

Democrats also saw a surprising amount of young people at the convention.
One of the biggest issues they brought up: How to handle student debt.