Fargo, ND
GRAND FORKS VOTE FOR CHANGE EARLY VOTE RALLY
Fargo Civic Center Arena
207 4th St N
Fargo, ND

Event Time: 1:00 PM

US Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, Congressman Earl Pomeroy, North Dakota Democratic Party Chairman Bob Strauss and gubernatorial candidate Tim Mathern will join Governor Dean at the rally.

* For more information, contact Michael Czin at CzinM@DNC.org.

St. Cloud, MN
ST. CLOUD VOTE FOR CHANGE GOTV RALLY WITH ELWYN TINKLENBERG
Campaign for Change Office
904 West St. Germain Street
St. Cloud, MN

Event Time: 5:00 PM

* For more information, contact Michael Czin at CzinM@DNC.org.

Minneapolis, MN
MINNESOTA VOTE FOR CHANGE GOTV CONCERT AND RALLY
Trocaderos Nightclub & Restaurant
107 3rd Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN

Doors Open: 7:00 PM
Program Begins: 8:00 PM

* For more information, contact Michael Czin at CzinM@DNC.org.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2

Seattle, WA
SEATTLE GOTV/CANVASS KICKOFF RALLY WITH GOV. GREGOIRE
2820 South Myrtle Street
Seattle, WA

Event Time: 11:15 AM

* For more information, contact Michael Czin at CzinM@DNC.org.

Fife, WA
PIERCE COUNTY GOTV/ CANVASS KICKOFF RALLY WITH GOV. GREGOIRE
ILWU Hall
1306 Alexander Avenue
Fife, WA

Event Time: 12:30 PM

* For more information, contact Michael Czin at CzinM@DNC.org.

Portland, OR
PORTLAND GET-OUT-THE-VOTE RALLY WITH SEN. RON WYDEN AND JEFF MERKLEY
Campaign for Change and Merkley Oregon Headquarters
3016 Division Street
Portland, OR

Event Time: 4:30 PM

* For more information, contact Michael Czin at CzinM@DNC.org.

Eugene, OR
EUGENE GET-OUT-THE-VOTE RALLY WITH SEN. RON WYDEN & JEFF MERKLEY
Campaign for Change Office
150 West Broadway
Eugene, OR 97401

Event Time: 7:30 PM

* For more information, contact Michael Czin at CzinM@DNC.org.

My name is Dave Gipp. I’m Hunkpapa /Lakota from the Standing Rock Lakota-Dakota Nation. I am president of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota.

I’m one of thousands of tribal citizens who support Senator Barack Obama for accepting tribal nations and their citizens into the future he sees for America. We’re not another special interest group trying to claim a share of the American pie. We are, after all, the first Americans. We paid for our place with land and blood. Our status as sovereign tribal nations is specially recognized in the U.S. Constitution. Our rights as tribal nations to determine our destiny within our great United States should be protected and honored by our government. Our treaties with the U.S. are the “supreme law of the land.”

Every step you take across this great nation, every vista you admire, every city you call by its tribal name, was once Indian country. The places many of our tribal nations occupy have long been pockets of poverty where the words, “liberty and justice for all” have become empty words on a piece of paper. Our health care is a disaster. Our public schools need repair. Our law enforcement officers lack the resources to guarantee safety. People in the Green Zone in Baghdad may indeed be safer than citizens in Indian country.

Yet we have never turned our back on America. Our tribal veterans have served in every one of this nation’s wars and conflicts in greater numbers per capita than any other ethnic group. We recently honored the late Woodrow Keeble of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, a hero of the Korean War who received the Medal of Honor. We never forget the sacrifices of our veterans and elders.

We can only renew America’s promise when the first Americans are legitimate participants in framing the future of this country. I urge you to look to the nation’s 37 tribal colleges and universities to lead the way in renewing the promise for American Indians. These institutions provide tribal citizens with the skills they need to be vital contributors to society and to our culture. Tribal colleges are a key to the renaissance in American Indian life as we save our languages and rebuild over 550 tribal nations.

American Indians are still here and we’re seeking justice for our people. We offer the strengths of our spirituality and our connection with Mother Earth in renewing America’s promise for all. Let us remember the words of the great Lakota patriot Sitting Bull: “let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.”

Pilamaya yelo! Thank you.

Mitakuye oyasin! We are all related. In every race, creed, and color... We are all related.

Up north, the state of North Dakota goes for Gov. Mitt Romney with a 13 point win over Sen. McCain, 36-23 with 98 percent reporting. Reports show huge turnout for Democrats, nearly twice the expected turnout.

Some news in the Georgia Republican primary, I saw that one of the cable news outlets called the state for Gov. Mike Huckabee. Huckabee managed to pull out the win which had been too close to call for nearly four hours.

Colorado, which is reporting stuffed caucus locations on the Democratic side, has yet to produce a winner for the Republicans.

State parties will publish their delegate selection rules and clearly explain how to participate in the summer of 2007.

North Dakota Democratic Party
1902 E Divide Ave
Bismarck, ND 58501
701-255-0460
701-255-7823 (fax)

District-Level Delegates: 8
At-Large Delegates: 3
Pledged Party Leader & Elected Official (PLEO) Delegates: 2
Unpledged Delegates: 8
TOTAL Number of Delegates: 21

Alternates: 4

TOTAL DELEGATION SIZE: 25

System type: Caucus

State convention page: Available
State plan: Plan Available (PDF)
State filing form: Not available online. Please contact the state party to receive a copy.

** This information is prepared by the DNC's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection and may be subject to change. For more information, please call 202-863-8000.

'This summit is similar to old days in the summer, when people would come together, meet and perform; and also for spirituality. These gatherings have taken place from time immemorial,'' said Ken Davis, chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.

The United Tribes of North Dakota packaged this year's summit with seven other conferences and the pow wow at the United Tribes Technical College for the first time. The United Tribes has held a summit each of the past 10 years while other conferences had been held in different locations. This year more than 1,000 people came together in one location.

It is especially appropriate that the United Tribes Intertribal Council Summit opened with a discussion on water rights and quantification of water for the reservations. Quantification of water rights has been talked about for many years between states and tribes and with the federal government.

The summit covered more topics than water. Sovereignty, education, health care, current and pending legislation, the Cobell settlement bill and appropriations shared the platform.

Legislation that Dorgan considers important is the reauthorization of the Indian Health Improvement Act and the Cobell settlement bill. Garland said the Bush administration was not interested in the health improvement act and work was under way to figure out how to get that bill out of the Senate and passed this year.

Pomeroy said the health bill needed reauthorization because it gives more control to the tribes. He also supports a settlement of the Cobell case.

"Good jobs that pay well are the root of expansion of the middle class in America. Now we're seeing these jobs shipped overseas in search of labor that will work for $0.20 or $0.30 an hour…this doesn't add up for our country. It will injure our country," said Dorgan.

"Economists tell us that 42 to 56 million American jobs are subject to be exported in the future. That's what we have to worry about and that's why I wrote this book," he added.

Dorgan criticized the Bush Administration's record trade deficit and their flawed trade policies which cater to big business but leave behind American workers.

"This country is a country that's off track and we need to put it back on track by demanding a change in our trade policy. We need fair trade policies that stand up for the American worker and for American businesses. The current trade policies give away the store and pull the rug out from under American workers and farmers," he added.

To listen to the audio, click here.

The DNC's Podcast, an audio broadcast that listeners can download for play on portable music devices or on computers, gives listeners a chance to regularly hear from party leaders, newsmakers, strategists, policy makers, and the grassroots of the Democratic Party.

North Dakota might seem like an odd place for a statewide Democratic incumbent to be safe for re-election. Its largely rural, conservative-leaning electorate gave President Bush 63 percent of its vote in 2004, and Republicans have won the state's electoral votes in 16 of 17 elections dating back to 1940.

Rep. Pomeroy has an overwhelming lead in campaign funds over his Republican opponent. In addition, Pomeroy's centrist image and strategic placement on the Ways and Means Committee and the Agriculture Committee may provide him the political boost he needs to win re-election.

In comparing the 2006 Primary Election results from the three previous elections, the Democratic-NPL Party made significant gains. In state-wide races, Democratic-NPL candidates averaged around 10 percent better than their Republican opponents.

Looking at the numbers from the Secretary of State's office, it would seem Republicans in North Dakota making marginal gains over their 2004 turnout numbers, while Democrats increased their primary support by over 50% in some cases - with most state-wide races seeing an increase of at least 10,000 votes.

North Dakota State Party Executive Director Jim Fuglie released a statement following Tuesday's elections:

“It’s pretty obvious that there’s much more enthusiasm among Democrats this year. We have been saying all along that 2006 will be a good year for the Democratic-NPL Party in North Dakota. This is promising news as the election season moves forward. I think North Dakotans are disappointed in the leadership they’ve received from Republicans on both the federal and state level. It’s pretty obvious to me that more voters chose the Democratic-NPL column this year."

Sounds a lot like what Kristin Hedger was saying when we talked last month. The 50-State Stategy means fighting in every district, in every state, and when we do that - when we recognize that Democrats live everywhere, work everywhere and can run anywhere, we can and will win electins everywhere.

It's not easy work, but it's work that is worth doing. Taking our country back one day at a time, precinct by precinct, showing up and getting the job done - that is what we are seeing across the country. Democrats from New York to California and EVERYWHERE inbetween are participating in local elections, state politics and national organizing events, winning elections they weren't "supposed" to win and making a difference.

Maine

John Baldacci is the Democratic nominee for Governor of Maine. Jean Hay Bright is the Senate nominee.

ME 01 TOM ALLEN
ME 02 MICHAEL MICHAUD

ND AL EARL POMEROY

SC 02 Michael Ellisor
SC 03 Lee Ballenger
SC 04 William Griffith
SC 05 JOHN SPRATT
SC 06 JAMES CLYBURN

James Webb will challenge GOP Senator George Allen.

VA 01 Shawn O'Donnell
VA 02 Phil Kellam
VA 03 BOBBY SCOTT
VA 05 Al Weed
VA 07 James Nachman
VA 08 JIM MORAN
VA 09 RICK BOUCHER
VA 10 Judy Feder
VA 11 Andrew Hurst

Why are you running for Secretary of State?

I believe there is so much that can be done in terms of energizing the office and making it work for North Dakotans and one of the fundamentals ways of making it work for them is to make it as easy as possible to vote, another way would be to work closely with business leaders to promote economic development and North Dakota based entrepreneurs.

What do you see happening with North Dakota Democrats?

There is an energy you can feel; we’re going to be stronger. We are on the verge of a change of tide. We’ve always had a strong Congressional delegation – and now joining them there are fresh faces coming to the table, who are running at all levels of government and who are energized and who love the state. It’s the Democratic Party that is bringing those fresh faces to the table.

The North Dakota primary is June 13th, but you are running unopposed for the Democratic nomination, what have you been focusing on?

We work really closely with other races. I’m grateful to have had the chance to play a role bringing others to the table. The North Dakota pioneers had to work together to settle the state, and that is an inherent part of who we are. In North Dakota, and in the Democratic Party, we want to work together and build each other up. In building others up, you strengthen the state and you build the party. I believe this is what leadership is all about.

A lot of young Democrats, including yourself, are running for office in North Dakota, why do you think this is?

There is a sense that Republicans see public office as “just a job”. Democrats, especially young Democrats, have an energy and passion to make government work for North Dakota.

Let’s talk about the office of Secretary of State. What would you like to accomplish?

One thing we pride ourselves on is having the easiest voting situation in the nation. The current Secretary of State hasn’t worked proactively to ensure that folks know all of the options with respect to their voting rights. For instance, he doesn’t recognize tribal IDs as sufficient ID for voting. North Dakotans are required to have some way to identify who they are and he hasn’t recognized that form of ID. So American Indians were denied the right to vote at the polls.

A lot of seniors were denied as well, because they are used to not having to present identification. Instead of working to educate them, or providing them with legal alternatives, they were told to go home and get ID and many did not return, meaning that many American Indians and seniors were disenfranchised.

Instead of serving the public and advising those to ensure an efficient process, the current Secretary of State gives muddled, and seemingly conflicted, advice. It makes it hard for party officials and county officials. In that way it compromises the integrity of North Dakota’s election process. What I would do, is work hard to give sound advice to prevent confusion, so the process is truly working for North Dakotans.

I had an opportunity to chat with one of more progressive state legislators in North Dakota this week and asked him how the staff people funded by Dean's DNC 50 State Strategy was working out. He said they were working out very well and there was a lot of excitement in the party that's been missing for a while.

In particular he pointed to the party's policy meetings held in early February. In the late 90s he said those meetings often were hamstrung because not enough Dems showed up to make a quorum. This year almost every district sent their two delegates and many sent alternates as well. Given the moribund state of the state party for at least a decade, this qualifies as a near miracle. It is the first hopeful sign I have seen that North Dakota may return to its century of progressive traditions after wandering in the wilderness since 1992.

I was particularly pleased to come across this diary because I cannot recall writing about North Dakota since arriving at the DNC. The ultimate goal is to have people from all fifty states checking in on a routine basis with progress reports from the ground -- hopefully you'll be a part of that effort.

Bismarck – Ryan Gustafson, 22, formally announced his candidacy for the District 35 Democratic-Non-Partisan League nomination for the North Dakota State House on Tuesday, January 17.

During the event at the Kennedy Center, Gustafson gave a short speech about his campaign and why he is seeking the Democratic nomination.

“North Dakota is a great state,” he said, “but we need fresh, vibrant leadership to take on the challenges we face today. We must create new opportunities to avoid stagnation while maintaining the high quality of life we enjoy.”

Citing the rising costs of college tuition, expensive property taxes, and the lack of movement on issues like economic development and out-migration, Gustafson believes he can do better.

“Someday we'll look back and wonder whether we did enough to ensure the future of our state,” he said. “I want to be able to say 'yes' without hesitation.”

The North Dakota Young Democrats have endorsed his campaign.

Gustafson graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., in 2005 with a degree in journalism. This is his first campaign as a candidate; he previously volunteered to “wave some signs around” for Heidi Heitkamp's 2000 gubernatorial campaign and Walter Mondale's 2002 senate campaign.

More Information on Cuyrent News and Candidates at North Dakota Democrats

http://www.demnpl.com/

Chair: David Strauss
Vice Chair: Mary Wakefield
Executive Director: Jamie Selzler