{"id":2231216,"date":"2024-04-26T18:31:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T22:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/battle-for-north-dakotas-sole-house-seat-gets-personal-with-plastic-surgeons-attack-website\/"},"modified":"2024-04-26T18:36:18","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T22:36:18","slug":"battle-for-north-dakotas-sole-house-seat-gets-personal-with-plastic-surgeons-attack-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/battle-for-north-dakotas-sole-house-seat-gets-personal-with-plastic-surgeons-attack-website\/","title":{"rendered":"North Dakota House Seat Battle Intensifies with Plastic Surgeon&#8217;s Attack Site"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbattle-for-north-dakotas-sole-house-seat-gets-personal-with-plastic-surgeons-attack-website%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2231216&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The North Dakota House seat primary \u2064intensifies as Republican candidates vie to\u2062 succeed\u2064 Rep. Kelly Armstrong. \u2063Bismarck plastic surgeon, Rick Becker, and \u200bPublic Service Commissioner\u200b Julie \u200dFedorchak are locked in a battle marked by attack websites and ads. Becker&#8217;s &#8220;therealjulie.com&#8221; labels Fedorchak \u2064a &#8220;swamp creature&#8221; while the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-gets-trial-date-for-classified-documents-case-could-still-have-one-more-trick-up-his-sleeve\/\" title=\"Trump's trial date set for classified documents case, potential surprise in store.\">race intensifies<\/a> with\u200c endorsements and contrasting conservative views. The battle\u200d for the North Dakota \u200cHouse seat intensifies as Republican candidates, Rick Becker and Julie Fedorchak, compete to succeed Rep.\u2063 Kelly Armstrong. Attack websites and ads play a significant role in \u200dthe heated \u2063campaign. Becker&#8217;s site, &#8220;therealjulie.com,&#8221; portrays Fedorchak in a negative light, adding to\u2062 the race&#8217;s intensity fueled by endorsements and \u200ddiffering conservative ideologies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE \u2014<\/strong> A low-key primary contest for <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-dakota\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>North Dakota<\/a>\u2018s sole <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-of-representatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>House<\/a> seat has intensified, with Republican candidates launching ads and websites attacking each other as both look to replace outgoing Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND).<\/p>\n<p>For a seat that <em>Cook Political Report<\/em> rates as solid Republican with R+20, either Bismarck plastic surgeon and former state Rep. Rick Becker or North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak would likely win the <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2024<\/a> general election in November. Ahead of the primary on June 11, Becker and Fedorchak are looking to sway voters based on who has the best conservative record to increase the Republican majority in the House.<\/p>\n<p>Becker is launching a website called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.therealjulie.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"therealjulie.com\">therealjulie.com<\/a> this weekend, labeling Fedorchak a \u201cswamp creature,\u201d \u201clobbyist,\u201d and \u201cRINO,\u201d or Republican in name only, according to the site shared exclusively with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRepublican candidates across the country generally run like very principled conservatives, but when they get elected, they tend to be very squishy, unprincipled moderates, in many cases, and I believe very much that\u2019s the case with Julie,\u201d Becker said in an interview.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, this is an effort to lay out the facts and the truths about my opponent,\u201d Becker added.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Plastic surgeon and former North Dakota state Rep. Rick Becker poses for a photo. (Courtesy of Rick Becker campaign.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The website attacks Fedorchak on abortion, citing a 2009 column in the <em>Bismarck Tribune<\/em> stating she supported \u201cmantain[ing] choice.\u201d It also notes her support of \u201cwoke green energy policies\u201d and her connection to then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney\u2019s campaign as a member of the North Dakota Statewide Steering Committee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJulie\u2019s not for North Dakota. She\u2019s for the swamp,\u201d the website says.<\/p>\n<p>Sean Cleary, Fedorchak\u2019s campaign manager, said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that Becker is trying to \u201cblatantly mislead North Dakotans with pathetic political tactics and name calling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis constant shameless maneuvering is an insult to voters\u2019 intelligence,\u201d Cleary said. \u201cBecker\u2019s reliance on underhanded tactics and self-funding to try and bail out his failing campaign exposes the true nature of his candidacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Becker said it\u2019s up to the voters to \u201ctry and discern who is a conservative, who is not, and it\u2019s very difficult when we all sound the same.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFortunately for voters, I have a very long and very open record voting record for 10 years. Julie, as a public utilities regulator, it can be difficult to discern her record,\u201d Becker added.<\/p>\n<p>Becker has received several endorsements from House Freedom Caucus members like Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Andrew Clyde (R-GA), as well as former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. He has said in several posts that he is an \u201cAmerica First\u201d conservative, aligning himself with the hard-line flank of the House Republican Party that has given Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) headaches on more than one occasion this Congress.<\/p>\n<p>Despite his endorsements, Becker said he considers himself a liberty-minded Republican who had to work with more moderate leadership in the North Dakota legislature to pass legislation such as the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/ND\/rollcall\/HB1272\/id\/1007986\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>North Dakota gun sanctuary state bill<\/a>\u201d and other measures involving Fourth Amendment and Fifth Amendment protections. He plans to \u201ccarry that same model with me\u201d to Washington, D.C., if elected, he said.<\/p>\n<p>However, he thinks the House would benefit from more \u201cliberty-minded\u201d Republicans than moderates because he thinks centrists do not adhere to conservative principles that advance the party\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you have principles, allegedly, but back off and pull away from them when it\u2019s convenient, or when it\u2019s inconvenient to maintain them, they\u2019re not actually principles \u2014 they\u2019re just loose guidelines,\u201d Becker said. \u201cSo the way I look at it, moderate is not a term I\u2019m interested in. Moderate tells me that you\u2019re not sticking to principle, you\u2019re not a principled person.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>North Dakota Republican Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak steps up to a lectern to announce her U.S. House candidacy at Republican Party headquarters in Bismarck, North Dakota, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo\/Jack Dura)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He has received some backlash from Fedorchak\u2019s campaign for his previous primary Senate run as an independent against Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) in 2022, which he lost. When asked about his decision to run as an independent, Becker argued against his opponent\u2019s attacks, arguing that he was a 10-year Republican state legislator and only ran as an independent because he ran after the primary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just cannot be put on the ballot with a designated party affiliation. So you see, in that election, while I was an active Republican state legislator, it was by necessity that I had to check the box that said independent,\u201d Becker said. <\/p>\n<p>Fedorchak\u2019s campaign and supporters are not wasting any time when it comes to attacking Becker, as well. A mailer from the Brighter Future Alliance, a North Dakota-based political organization not associated with Fedorchak, provided to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> attacks Becker for being \u201cpro-illegal immigration\u201d and \u201canti-police,\u201d detailing several bills that Becker voted against during his time as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-vowed-to-elect-more-women-they-did-just-that\/\" title=\"Republicans Vowed To Elect More Women...They Did Just That\">state representative<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure><figcaption>Flyer from Brighter Future Alliance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure><figcaption>Flyer from Brighter Future Alliance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The campaign pointed to Becker\u2019s \u201cno\u201d votes against several bills or resolutions, such as HCR 3025 in 2019, which <a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/ND\/rollcall\/HCR3025\/id\/810448\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"interview\">urged<\/a> Congress and former President Donald Trump to construct a border wall. His vote a few years ago is at odds with his current stance. In an <a href=\"https:\/\/northdakotamonitor.com\/2024\/04\/02\/becker-says-hes-not-afraid-to-rattle-cages-as-he-seeks-us-house-seat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"interview\">interview<\/a> with <em>North Dakota Monitor<\/em>, Becker said that, if elected, he would not vote for any spending bills at didn\u2019t include securing the southern border, a pledge not unlike arguments made by Freedom Caucus members in recent weeks, and was not in favor of closing the border completely.<\/p>\n<p>Cleary said Becker can reinvent himself but North Dakotans have not forgotten his previous political decisions.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cRick can try to rebrand himself, but people have not forgotten that he ran a failed candidacy as an independent against a Republican, and he has a liberal record voting against life, securing the border, and law enforcement,\u201d Cleary said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cNorth Dakotans see straight through the antics of a desperate failed politician like Rick Becker,\u201d Cleary added.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A once low-key North Dakota House seat primary now intensifies as Republican candidates launch attack ads and websites in the race to succeed Rep. Kelly Armstrong. The seat, rated solid Republican by Cook Political Report, draws attention to Bismarck plastic surgeon and former state Rep<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2231217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/MixCollage-26-Apr-2024-04-32-PM-1505-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2231216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/MixCollage-26-Apr-2024-04-32-PM-1505-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2231216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2231217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2231216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2231216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2231216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}