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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota oil patch worker is challenging U.S. Sen. John Hoeven in the Republican primary.
Riley Kuntz, who earlier this month filed the paperwork to run for Senate, said on his Facebook campaign page that he supports limited government, protecting life and limited taxation and spending. He said he is taking “bold action” to stand up for conservatives in North Dakota.
“I know most of you probably have no idea who I am and that’s for a couple of reasons: I enjoy my privacy and I’m not even a politician,” Kuntz said in a video.
Kuntz, 39, of Dickinson, led an unsuccessful bid to overturn three bills passed the 2019 North Dakota Legislature, including laws that restricted the state auditor, funded the proposed Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and shielded communications between lawmakers and public employees.
Hoeven was endorsed as the Republican party candidate for Senate during the party convention earlier this month, narrowly defeating a challenge by state Rep. Rick Becker, of Bismarck.
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Democrats have endorsed Katrina Christiansen, a University of Jamestown engineering professor.
The North Dakota primary election is scheduled for June 14.
This story was first published April 26, 2022. It was updated June 14, 2022, to correct the spelling of Katrina Christiansen’s last name.
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