This past weekend, North Dakota Democrats met at Bismarck State College for their biannual nominating convention.
The sight lines are very good in the venue, but at first blush, it didn’t feel like a convention setting. There was energy in the room, more so than I have seen in a few years. Whether that is reflected in the ballot box remains to be seen.
In the Congressional race, three candidates — Trygve Hammer, Vern Thompson and Helene Neville — competed for the endorsement. Hammer got it. He was defeated two years ago in the general election by Julie Fedorchak. But he says he has learned from that campaign, and will step up his game.
Thompson is not challenging Hammer in the primary, but Helene Neville says she will collect the signatures needed to challenge Hammer.
Convention Ch..Ch..Changes
After covering state political conventions since the 1970s (true — I worked at an AM station, and covered the 1978 state conventions), I have been thinking about the changes on how they’re run.
In those days, floor demonstrations for candidates were common. Of course, there was less of a reliance on video and social media. The conventions would stretch over a few days.
But that started to change, especially with the 2010 GOP Convention. The Governor’s race featured longtime state Senator Gary Nelson against former Bank of North Dakota president John Hoeven. That was a convention that saw more use of video, and a de-emphasis of floor demonstrations.
The Democrats, too, started to change. Gone were those floor demonstrations. But the campaign signs were still there, as were the candidate booths (or tables).
The convention rooms have also changed. They’re looking more like lecture halls. They’re very nice, and good for sight lines. But it hit me, when one person who has been attending conventions for a number of years told me she missed the district delegations being on one floor, and able to more easily mingle with other delegates. I understand that. But there is still time at gatherings and recesses that delegates can mingle.
Of course, some of this depends on the available space. The Democrats had a nice, more modern space at BSC, and the Republicans will meet at the State Fair Center in Minot later this month. The mission is clear for both sides: Win the election.
