As money in politics comes under closer scrutiny, deep-pocketed North Dakota donors have maneuvered the complicated web of campaign finance laws in a way that allows them to choose which information to disclose and which to conceal from the public.
When a bill surfaced in 2021 to ban North Dakota governors from making political contributions in legislative races, Deputy Secretary of State Jim Silrum testified that the legislation would be unconstitutional because political donations are considered protected free speech.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a former tech mogul, recently gave $935,000 to the Dakota Leadership PAC. The committee is targeting eight legislative districts with political ads, including Districts 8, 15, 19, 25, 28, 33, 35 and 39, its chairman confirmed.
In a battleground legislative district, home to one of the biggest divides in the NDGOP's fracture, a local political party has been advertising corporate sponsorship of an event, though local party officials claim the event isn't political.
In a battleground legislative district, home to one of the biggest divides in the NDGOP's fracture, a local political party has been advertising corporate sponsorship of an event, though local party officials claim the event isn't political.