Representative Kelly Armstrong says healthy debates are normal for the political environment

The countdown to the June 14 statewide primary is underway, and the North Dakota GOP stands divided.

The April NDGOP statewide convention was the largest in state history, and to say it was competitive is an understatement.

All eyes were on the contest between incumbent Sen. John Hoeven and the leader of the Bastiat Caucus Rep. Rick Becker, which encapsulated the philosophical schism within the party.

It was a close call for Hoeven who garnered 1,224 delegate votes over Becker’s 1,037.

The tension has not gone away as members of the ultra-conservative Bastiat caucus are blasting Gov. Doug Burgum for infusing millions of his own dollars into defeating legislative candidates who are standing in his way.

Congressman Kelly Armstrong presided as state party chair during the hotly contested 2016 open governor’s primary race between Burgum, Wayne Stenehjem and Becker.

Armstrong says that the political environment has gotten more toxic shrill, but if you don’t have a thick skin, you probably shouldn’t.

“I think it’s healthy, I think people take things too personally, but maybe that’s because I am an ex-criminal defense attorney and I fought for a decade with people who I was friends with,” said Armstrong. “I wish they would stay a little more philosophical and a little less personal. We tray and do that. We try to argue about ideas instead of attacking people.”