Bastiat Founder Rep. Rick Becker Loses in His Own District
MINOT, N.D. — The fight for control of the North Dakota Republican Party continues to play out in district party reorganizations across the state.
Activists aligned with the Bastiat Caucus in the Legislature have been trying to take over district leadership positions and then use those positions to censure Republican lawmakers who voted against Bastiat-backed bills, and to expel Bastiat lawmaker Luke Simons over incidents of sexual harassment earlier this year.
They also want to use that control to choose Bastiat-aligned leadership for the NDGOP.
So far the Bastiats have flipped the leadership in districts 40 and 14, though they’ve lost in 41, 17, 21, and 39.
Last night two Bismarck-area districts, 7 and 47, held their reorganization events and it “was a s— show,” according to one long-time Republican who attended the District 7 event where the Bastiats failed to elect their slate of candidates (they also failed in 47).
What’s interesting about these reorganizations, in particular, is that District 7 is home to Rep. Rick Becker, the founder of the Bastiat Caucus, and it doesn’t seem to have been a fun evening for him.
