No shortage of choices for U.S. House in N.D.

FARGO — North Dakotans have a host of choices in terms of who they want representing them on Capitol Hill after 2012.

The prospect of two open congressional seats has whet the political appetites of nearly a dozen declared candidates.

The U.S. House race has attracted a larger crowd of competitors: Five Republicans, one Democrat and one endorsed Libertarian. As the 2012 campaign season ramps up, here is an introduction to the candidates. The Senate candidates will be featured in Tuesday’s Sun.

Kevin Cramer (R)

Age: 50 Hometown: Kindred, N.D. Currently lives in Bismarck Family: wife, Kris; five children Occupation: Public Service Commissioner since 2003. Previous work: state economic development director, 1997-2000; state tourism director, 1993 to 1997. Former North Dakota Republican Party chairman. Unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. House in 1996, 1998 and 2010.

Why are you running to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House?

“I don’t think there’s ever been a time when my skills, my leadership, my experience, my knowledge has ever fit exactly what America needs better than right now.”

What three words best describe your campaign and what you stand for as a candidate?

Experience. Passion. Electability. “I have four opponents in my own party, who have some of the same things that I bring. … At this stage in the game, electability, I think, is what differentiates me from the other candidates.”

What sets you apart from your competition within the GOP?

“I’ve been on the statewide ballot four times. … None of the others can say that. … That cannot be understated, I think, at a time when we just finally won that seat for the Republicans.”

If elected, what’s at the top of your agenda? What would be the first piece of legislation you would propose, and why?

“I would look to rein in the EPA immediately. That doesn’t necessarily require legislation; that might require just voting against their budget every chance I can and getting as many of my colleagues to do the same until they shape up.”

If you don’t earn your party’s nomination next spring, will you still run in the June primary?

Maybe — “There’s a reason we have a primary, so I like to honor that democracy, if you will. … So I don’t intend to run in the primary if I don’t win the endorsement, but at the same time, I never completely shut that door, because you just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Shane Goettle (R)

Age: 42 Hometown: Stanley, N.D. Currently lives in Mandan Family: wife, Brenda; six children Occupation: former state director for Republican Sen. John Hoeven until resigning in October.

Previous work: state commerce commissioner, 2005-2010. Various administrative roles within USDA Rural Development, 2004-2005. Counsel to Federal Housing Finance Board chairperson, 2002-2003. Private practice lawyer, 1995-2002.

Why are you running to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House?

“I have had an interest in public service for a very long time, and I’m passionate about a number of topics that really intersect in politics: economics and law, agriculture and energy.”

What three words best describe your campaign and what you stand for as a candidate?

“I’m emphasizing three things: my experience in both agriculture and energy … my broad experience in both the private sector and the public sector … (and) my ability to generate results and get things done.”

What sets you apart from your competition within the GOP?

“Those areas that I mentioned: I have a lot of depth on energy... I also have this great field of depth in agriculture. I have a mix of both private sector and public sector experience, which I also think is unique in this race.”

If elected, what’s at the top of your agenda? What would be the first piece of legislation you would propose, and why?

Budget reform, tax reform and “the third area is the EPA and its over-regulatory approach. There’s a lot of things that beg reform right now at the EPA.”

If you don’t earn your party’s nomination next spring, will you still run in the June primary?

No — “I will support the party’s nominee. I am a faithful party loyalist in that regard.”

Bette Grande (R)

Age: 50 Hometown: Williston, N.D. Currently lives in Fargo Family: husband, Don; three children.

Occupation: Fargo legislator since 1996. Retired.

Previous work: Various —including stints as an athletic trainer, substitute teacher and beet truck driver.

Why are you running to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House?

“I found that I felt a duty to step forward … and take that citizen Legislature background to Washington and make a difference to, hopefully, get it all back in order.”

What three words best describe your campaign and what you stand for as a candidate?

Family. Conservative. Principled. “When I function as a legislator and in my decision making in life, I base those decisions on how it affects the family. … If we’re doing good for the family … then our nation does well.”

What sets you apart from your competition within the GOP?

“I know how to legislate: I can step in experienced, ready to work in those areas. … You can always talk about what you stand for, but I’ve already lived it and voted it.”

If elected, what’s at the top of your agenda? What would be the first piece of legislation you would propose, and why?

“We’ve got to deal with a piece of legislation that reins in all of the spending, overspending, over-extending ourselves. … The Obamacare issue: It must be repealed immediately. … The other issue that is extremely important and equal of the three, would be reining in the overextension of the EPA. It is a very destructive piece to our state.”

If you don’t earn your party’s nomination next spring, will you still run in the June primary?

Maybe — “I don’t plan to not get the nomination, so to set out and say, ‘well, this is what I’m going to do when I don’t’ doesn’t enter into the direction I’m trying to go. … But we are the best candidate, so we always have to have every option open.”

Pam Gulleson (D)

Age: 54 Hometown: Oakes, N.D. Currently lives in Rutland, N.D.

Family: husband, Bill; three

children.

Occupation: Family farmer. Senior policy adviser, North Dakota Farmers Union.

Previous work: State director and chief of staff for former Sen. Byron Dorgan, 2002-2010. Rutland legislator, 1993-2009, including serving as assistant floor leader for three sessions. Licensed nutritionist.

Why are you running to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House?

“Our country is facing such incredible challenges and … we’re seeing the continuation of politics as usual, divisiveness. I just think it’s time that we come together and we really think of it, not in terms of ‘they’ versus ‘me,’ it’s really needs to be more of ‘us’ and ‘we.’”

What three words best describe your campaign and what you stand for as a candidate?

“Integrity. Hard work. Cooperation. Those are things that we’ll do to reach out and work with other people and really try to identify the ways that we can resolve these big challenges.”

You don’t have any competition within your party, but as the presumptive Democratic nominee, why should party delegates endorse you next spring?

“They’ll see in me someone who has a resolve to get things done. I’ll stand up to people and for people. I will be a fighter for North Dakota. … I’m never reluctant to take on the really big issues, and that’s what it’s going to take right now.”

If elected, what’s at the top of your agenda? What would be the first piece of legislation you would propose, and why?

“I would focus on all of the things that we can do to help bring back a resurgence of making things in this country again — building things, investing in infrastructure, and investing again in our education system.”

If you don’t earn your party’s nomination next spring, will you still run in the June primary?

No — “I have always honored the convention process, and I will do that.”

Brian Kalk (R)

Age: 45 Hometown: Bottineau, N.D. Currently lives in Bismarck Family: wife, Karen; one daughter.

Occupation: Public Service Commissioner, since 2009.

Previous work:

retired U.S. Marines logistics officer, 1987-2007. Former professor at North Dakota State University, 2007-2008.

Why are you running to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House?

“(I’ve) got the world view that’s needed in D.C. right now. … (I) understand what it takes to keep North Dakota prosperous and also to get our country back on track as far as our spending, as far as our military policy.”

What three words best describe your campaign and what you stand for as a candidate?

“Energetic, listening and forward-thinking. … I’ve got my ideas; but I think it’s very important that you listen to people who are out there farming and ranching, and doing the things that they need to do, so they can have their voice heard in Washington.”

What sets you apart from your competition within the GOP?

“A lot of us have background in legislative things, but for us, the thing that sets (me) apart is: We’re more energetic, we’ve got a better background of how North Dakota ties into the world, and I think we’ve got the best ideas.”

If elected, what’s at the top of your agenda? What would be the first piece of legislation you would propose, and why?

“I’d put a cap on pay increases for congressmen, their staff and people around them. It’s ridiculous that the rest of the country has been in an economic downturn and D.C. keeps giving themselves pay raises. Then I would look at what’s the biggest priority at that time for North Dakota. I suspect it would be around energy policy.”

If you don’t earn your party’s nomination next spring, will you still run in the June primary?

No — “If for some reason we don’t get the nomination, we’ll support whoever does. I think any Republican candidate who doesn’t do that is irresponsible. The way Republicans lose this race right now is we don’t stick together.”

Kim Koppelman (R)

Age: 55 Hometown: Lidgerwood, N.D. Currently lives in West Fargo Family: wife, Torey; three children.

Occupation: West Fargo legislator since 1994. President and CEO of Koppelman & Associates, a communications consulting firm.

Previous work: Past national chairman of the Council of State Governments.

Why are you running to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House?

“Washington is full of politicians who want to be something; I’m running because I want to do something. … I have an interest in the future of our country and I’m concerned about the direction it’s taken.”

What three words best describe your campaign and what you stand for as a candidate?

“Restoring America’s greatness. … The nation that our founders gave us is unlike anything the world has ever seen, and I think that’s because of the principles they believed in, the foundations of freedom they crafted, the Constitution they gave us. I think we’re drifting away from that.”

What sets you apart from your competition within the GOP?

“I’ve had more legislative experience than anyone else and one of the only ones in the race who’s had any at all. … People consistently tell me that we don’t have time for a learning curve; we need someone who can hit the ground running and make a difference now.”

If elected, what’s at the top of your agenda? What would be the first piece of legislation you would propose, and why?

“The first step is to try to get a handle on regulations, try to ensure that agencies like the EPA aren’t pulling the rug out from some of our greatest industries in North Dakota. … We need to get control of that.”

If you don’t earn your party’s nomination next spring, will you still run in the June primary?

No — “I will support the nominee of the convention. I hope everyone else will agree with that. I think this needs to be a contest among friends, and once the Republican Party chooses a nominee, I think we should move forward to the general election.”

Eric Olson (L)

Age: 28 Hometown: Fargo-Moorhead area Currently lives in Fargo Family: Single

Occupation: President and owner of XPI Inventory Experts, a regional inventory provider. Also employed full-time by IMS, an internet marketing company.

Why are you running to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House?

“A lack of choices, I see serious financial problems in our country, unsustainable debt, and I see two parties with basically the same solution, which is to ignore it. … There’s no serious effort to address the problems.”

What three words best describe your campaign and what you stand for as a candidate?

“To define the type of government I would want in three words, I would say peaceful, libertarian — allowing for personal liberties — and fiscally responsible.”

What sets you apart from other candidates seeking this office?

“To be honest I’m not sure what the difference between them is. … It’s what they ignore that interests me. They don’t want to talk about military spending; they don’t want to talk about the Federal Reserve System. They do everything they can to step around those kind of issues.”

How would you define what it means to be “libertarian”?

“More freedom and less government — essentially reducing the role, especially, of the federal government back to as it’s specifically stated in the Constitution, where it’s to provide the things that cannot be provided by the state governments and to ensure personal liberties.”

If elected, what’s at the top of your agenda? What would be the first piece of legislation you would propose, and why?

“Spending cuts would be high on that list, especially in unnecessary military spending. That being: Our presence in so many foreign countries, our building new military facilities overseas.”

Kristen Daum is a reporter at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.

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