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612: 'I'm a North Dakotan first. I'm the governor second and a Republican third.'
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The North Dakota Republican Party censured Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong at a recent meeting.
And yes, despite what some party leaders are now saying, Armstrong does see it that way. "It was a censure," he said on this episode of Plain Talk, going on to expand on his immediate reaction to the censures which was "I don't care."
The censures expressed disapproval in Armstrong's property tax plan, along with his veto of book ban legislation, but he says that serving the party isn't his top priority. "I just view it this way: I'm a North Dakotan first. I'm the governor second and a Republican third."
He accused some in NDGOP leadership of being obsessed with "microniche" issues and wanting to control Republican elected leaders with party rules and censures.
"I mean, one of the problems I think you're running into in this is...this was always 'we hate the smoke-filled back room,' right? That was always the argument forever. That's not really true. What they want to do is control the smoke-filled back room," he said.
"I don't think they spend near enough time talking about how to win elections, which is what people rely on the party for," he added, further arguing that party leadership is elected by small groups of people.
"Matt Simon got elected with 24 votes," Armstrong said "I hope he does great. I hope he brings unity."
Also on this episode, we discuss Rep. Scott Louser's decision to forgo a property tax ballot measure challenging the relief lawmakers passed earlier this year, as well as the recent No Kings protests and how their momentum compares to the 2009 "tea party" movement that changed the shape of North Dakota politics.
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