US House candidate Balazs pledges to hold in-person town halls as he secures NDGOP endorsement

MINOT, N.D. – North Dakota Republican delegates enthusiastically endorsed Alex Balazs for U.S. House Sunday over Republican incumbent Rep. Julie Fedorchak, who skipped her party’s endorsing convention this year.

Balazs, of Cando, received two standing ovations as the only candidate seeking the NDGOP’s endorsement after Fedorchak chose to gather signatures and focus on the June 9 primary.

During his convention speech, Balazs drew on his military background as he criticized Fedorchak and other statewide incumbents for skipping the convention. He compared it to a military service member ringing the bell after quitting specialized combat training.

“On the day you ring out, you’re done,” said Balazs, who served in the Air Force and Navy. “We don’t kick them out of the military, we just say, ‘Go do another job, stay a part of us, and still defend the county, but you are not going to be part of this special team anymore.’”

He pledged to hold regular, in-person town halls with North Dakota voters. Fedorchak has yet to hold an official in-person town hall with constituents, but has held a series of virtual forums where she answers questions from members of the public. She has also visited with multiple local advocacy organizations and held office hours to meet with North Dakotans in her first term.

Balazs encouraged people who boycotted the convention to come back.

“They can join us and that includes the people that supported them,” he said. “We’re not exclusionary, but you have to come back and be with us and follow the guidelines and work with us. That’s unity.”

Tom Tracy and Balazs’ wife, Cindy, nominated Balazs for the NDGOP U.S. House endorsement.

Cindy Balazs said her husband always stands out of the spotlight and lets others take credit, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a leader.

“Elected office isn’t about status or spotlight. It’s about listening first, serving always and recognizing that our rights come from God, not from any government or political class,” she said.

During the 2024 NDGOP state convention in Fargo, Fedorchak sought the endorsement of the party, but neither she nor Balazs were able to win a majority of convention delegates after supporters of former state lawmaker Rick Becker intentionally spoiled their ballots, preventing a majority. Fedorchak withdrew from the endorsing contest after the second ballot, which paved the way for Balazs to win the endorsement.

Balazs lost a five-way Republican primary for the U.S. House race to Fedorchak with 4% voter support. Fedorchak received 46% voter support during her 2024 primary win.

Previously, Fedorchak said she was investing time into the work that North Dakotans elected her to do. President Donald Trump endorsed Fedorchak for another term in August.

“The leader of our party, President Donald Trump, has given me his ‘complete and total endorsement,’” Fedorchak said in a statement. “Working with him, I have helped reduce North Dakotans’ tax burden, secure our border, reduce regulatory burdens across industries, and improve safety in our state and nation. I look forward to sharing these results with North Dakotans and earning their support in the June 9 primary and the November election.”

In addition to his military career, Balazs spent time working as a senior foreign service officer for the State Department in Europe, the Middle East and South America.

He pledged to back veterans “as only a veteran can,” enforce fiscal responsibility, limit the size and scope of government, enforce permanent border security, oppose public land sales to big money and reduce regulations on citizens.

Balazs submitted petition signatures and received primary ballot access before he was endorsed. He said during a news conference he wanted to ensure he was on the primary ballot because he thought Fedorchak and other Republican statewide incumbents would show up in Minot.

“I thought she’d come and we’d have a toe-to-toe, let’s discuss things,” Balazs said. “Since the rules say there’s a primary, I didn’t want to be left out of it.”

Balazs said he voted in support of the Saturday motion to strip North Dakota Republican candidates of their Republican party brand for not attending the convention.

The Democratic-NPL Party endorsed Trygve Hammer for U.S. House.

This story was updated with a statement from Rep. Julie Fedorchak and additional comment from Alex Balazs.

North Dakota Monitor reporter Michael Achterling can be reached at machterling@northdakotamonitor.com.