Piepkorn has Democrats singing, names Hart as running mate

Dem-NPL candidates hope to strike different tone than Republican campaigns, party chair says

BY: JEFF BEACH - APRIL 6, 2024 7:38 PM

Merrill Piepkorn, known for his singing, had North Dakota Democrats singing together as he accepted the party’s nomination to be its candidate for governor. 

“I’m known for wearing a bolo tie and playing guitar and kind of an old school guy like that,” Piepkorn said Saturday. “It’s also kind of old school, old fashioned to believe that we need to love our neighbors. … We need to take care of each other, to take care of our communities, to protect the rights of all of us.” 

Piepkorn left the stage with Democrats singing, “Everybody get together, try to love one another, right now.” 

He also encouraged those Democrats to reach out to neighbors, especially those not tied to partisan politics, to gain support to challenge Republicans in the 2024 election. 

Piepkorn named Patrick Hart as his running mate. Hart grew up on a family farm near Pembina and runs a small construction company in Bismarck. He ran for state auditor in 2020, losing to Josh Gallion with about 32% of votes. 

Hart said he tried to make government work more efficiently when he worked in the state Agriculture Department and for the Public Service Commission. 

He said big businesses sometimes lose sight of the effects of their decisions. “That’s where regulation comes into play,” Hart told the North Dakota Monitor. 

Adam Goldwyn succeeded Hart as the chair of Democratic-NPL Party. 

“He actually represents the small business owner that the Republicans claim to represent, but they don’t put small business owners on their ballot,” Goldwyn said of Hart. 

Goldwyn also said the Democratic ticket will strike a different tone than the Republican campaign. 

“I just think that the people of the state deserve a representation that actually shares their values and shares the way they want to be represented on the national stage,” Goldwyn said. 

Piepkorn and Hart both emphasized strengthening the education system. 

“You can get a Class A education in a Class B school,” Hart said. 

Piepkorn questioned Republican support of carbon capture pipelines, and what he called “factory farms” for livestock. 

Former state Sen. Joan Heckaman said one of Piepkorn’s strengths is that as a state senator from Fargo, and as an entertainer and radio personality, “Merrill has been everywhere and he knows someone from everywhere,” she said. 

Rep. Karla Rose Hanson, D-Fargo, contrasted Piepkorn with Republican candidates Kelly Armstrong and Tammy Miller. 

She said they had a competition to see “who could love (Donald) Trump the most and hate diversity the most.”   

Former state Rep. Marvin Nelson, who ran for governor as a Democrat in 2016, said a key for Piepkorn is to work to get off to a fast start on fundraising to be able demonstrate viability by the primary on June 11. 

On the difference between Piepkorn and the Republicans candidates, Nelson said Piepkorn talks about North Dakota. “The Republicans only pay attention to Washington, D.C.”