Mayors Declaring Early in North Dakota

John Hoeven got a slew of endorsements from over thirty mayors and tribal leaders today (registration required).

Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker and West Fargo Mayor Rich Mattern are among more than 30 North Dakota mayors and tribal leaders formally endorsing Republican Gov. John Hoeven in his bid for the U.S. Senate.

Honestly, I don’t know how much weight a mayor’s endorsement carries in North Dakota; maybe little or none. However, Fargo mayor Dennis Walaker is a bit of a cult hero after his handling of last spring’s flood. His endorsement might actually carry some weight. NPL chairman Macrk Schneider asked for mayors to hold off a bit.

I don’t read these endorsements as they’re lock-stock-and-barrel behind the governor for Senate, Schneider said. We would like to think that they’re open-minded enough that they will make their decision on the merits once we have a candidate.

That would seem to indicate that North Dakota state senator Tracy Potter isn’t a shoe-in to get the nomination. But frankly, I don’t think it matters if Potter gets the nomination or not. Who else are they going to give it to? Does anyone else want to vie for the right to take one for the team?