A low-key primary contest for North Dakota’s sole House seat has escalated, with Republican candidates attacking each other in ads and online platforms as both look to replace outgoing Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND). The race between Bismarck plastic surgeon Rick Becker and North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak is expected to result in victory for either candidate during the 2024 general election, with Cook Political Report rating it as a solid Republican seat with an R+20 advantage.
Becker has launched a website called therealjulie.com that accuses Fedorchak of being a “swamp creature,” “lobbyist” and a “RINO”, or Republican in name only, based on her past political actions. He believes that she is not a true conservative once elected to office as many Republicans tend to become more moderate after winning elections.
Fedorchak’s campaign manager responded by criticising Becker for resorting to negative tactics and false statements. Sean Cleary accused the candidate of misleading North Dakotans with “pathetic political tricks” and labelled his constant self-promotion as an insult to voters’ intelligence. He also claimed that Fedorchak has a strong conservative record, while it is difficult to discern Becker’s due to his previous moderate leadership in the state legislature passing measures regarding gun laws, Fourth Amendment rights, among other topics of liberty principles during campaign trail talks for a GOP candidate seat that encompasses Montana’s sprawling western two-thirds.
Becker said voters must distinguish between genuine conservatives and those who only claim to be so in politics based on their records, as Fedorchak’s record is harder to discern due to her position at the North Dakota Public Service Commission. He also claimed that moderates do not adhere strictly enough to conservative principles for advancing party agendas because they tend to back off or dilute those ideals when convenient or inconvenient for their purposes in Congress, stating, “Moderate tells me you’re not sticking with principle; You’re just following loose guidelines.”
Fedorchak’s campaign and supporters are attacking Becker also. The Brighter Future Alliance released mailers critical of Becker regarding his immigration stance being ‘pro-illegal migration,’ a vote against resolutions in favour of border security, as well as voting against bills supporting law enforcement during his time at the state legislature.
Becker’s campaign responded by stating that he now opposes spending any money on building walls and does not support completely closing borders but would refuse to approve budget proposals without provisions for securing them in Congress if elected, a stance similar to those of Freedom Caucus members who have recently made such arguments. His past votes against life, border security measures like the construction of walls at Mexico’s southern border during his tenure as a state representative were criticised by Fedorchak’s campaign manager Sean Cleary, stating that North Dakotans won’t forget these issues because Becker previously ran for office unopposed from an independent party platform.
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