Citing ‘extreme rhetoric’ and ‘divisiveness,’ another North Dakota lawmaker announces retirement
MINOT, N.D. — Last week, during the waning hours of the Legislature’s special session in Bismarck, Sen. Nicole Poolman, a Republican, announced her retirement.
In a speech she delivered on the Senate floor making the announcement, she cited the “toxic” and “divisive” political environment. “I would be lying if I didn’t admit to feeling a little weary,” she said.
Those sentiments have been echoed in another retirement announcement, this time from Sen. Erin Oban, a Democrat. “It’s obvious that the extreme rhetoric and divisiveness of the national scene have seeped into our state,” she wrote in a Facebook post, going on to note that her legislative chamber’s reputation for serious-minded debate has been changing.
