Hoeven announces for Senate
Hoeven announces for Senate
By STU MERRY
Sen. Byron Dorgan’s announcement could change the landscape of North Dakota politics as candidates line up to jockey for position.
Monday evening, Gov. John Hoeven, a Republican, made it official, saying he is throwing his hat in the ring for Dorgan’s Senate seat.
Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., who is also up for re-election, announced just a few days ago that he would stay put, opting to run again for the House of Representatives.
The Hoeven announcement has been highly anticipated for months. District 4 Rep. Kenton Onstad, D-Parshall, noted that the governor isn’t a shoo-in for the post just yet.
“The election is a long way off and we must now wait and see,” Onstad said. “Governor Hoeven now has to run as a conservative to get the votes of his party, but as you look at his years in office, he grew state government and state spending by the largest percentages in history.”
Onstad said the biggest factor to the state’s economic stability is due to a large oil find in western North Dakota and a strong agricultural economy.
“Those two contributing factors have allowed North Dakota to buck the trends of recession,” he said.
