Candidate Gulleson visits Jamestown during N.D. tour

Democratic congressional candidate Pam Gulleson visited Jamestown Wednesday as part of her “Building the Future” tour of North Dakota.

She is running for the state’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, which Rep. Rick Berg, R-N.D., is vacating to run for the U.S. Senate.

Gulleson visited with Mayor Katie Andersen and made several stops including the Anne Carlsen Center, Jamestown Regional Medical Center and small businesses such as Redplum Media.

She said her focus is keeping local jobs from moving abroad, making the country more competitive economically and promoting small business innovation.

“We have a great nation here, but the question is ‘How do we make it better?’” she told a group of Redplum Media employees.

“It is small business ideas like the ones here (at Redplum) that continue to make this country so great,” she said.

With the federal government providing tax benefits to U.S. companies who move their business abroad, Gulleson called such benefits “nonsense and a mistake in our tax policy.”

“In many ways, we have given away industries like the textile industry and aspects of electronics to foreign competitors. We need to get back to fundamentals and start rewarding companies that are creating jobs here and supporting them,” she said.

Gulleson outlined a series of steps important to helping the country called her “Jobs and Innovation Strategy to Rebuild America.” One of those she highlighted was the need for a national energy policy.

“A national energy policy is essential. How can we get off our dependence on foreign oil without one?” she said.

She said North Dakota especially can be a leader in our nation’s energy development.

“A successful policy should develop our domestic resources. We need to be doing more with wind, more with solar and more with natural gas,” she said.

Gulleson, an Oakes, N.D., native, is currently a partner in a farm and ranching business with her husband and sons in Rutland, N.D.

“I care deeply about this country and my perspective as a farmer and rancher I think will help solve our nation’s great challenges. I understand agriculture and I’ll be a fighter for federal farm policy,” she said.

Gulleson was a former District 26 representative in the North Dakota House from 1992-2010. She is the lone declared Democratic candidate for the open U.S. House seat.

Six Republican candidates have declared for the open seat.

A primary election will be held on June 12.

The general election will be held on Nov. 6.

Sun reporter Brian Willhide can be reached at 701-952-8454 or by email at bwillhide@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, politics