Several North Dakota Republicans not attending convention may be causing a rift

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Several North Dakota Republicans say they are not attending this year’s state convention.

Republican statewide office-holders like Rep. Julie Fedorchak, Secretary of State Michael Howe, and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring say instead they will be waiting for the June primary.

At the 2024 convention, Fedorchak withdrew from consideration after two rounds of voting and lost the party’s endorsement to Alex Balazs, but she defeated him in that year’s primary.

An MSUM political science professor says there is a rift in the GOP.

“This is a fight that I don’t think it’s going to end with this election year because there’s this split between what the Republican party of North Dakota stands for. I don’t think it’s going to end this year. I think it’s going to continue at least through the rest of President Trump’s administration,” said Dr. Barbara Headrick, Professor of Political Science, Minnesota State Moorhead.

The North Dakota Republican Convention begins on March 28th in Minot.