Far right tugs at North Dakota Republican Party
Associated PressBISMARCK, N.D. — An effort to recall a Republican legislator largely over his vote to expel a fellow GOP lawmaker accused of sexually harassing women at the state Capitol is being viewed as a litmus test for party loyalty, the state GOP ‘s new chairman said. Mark Jendrysik, chairman of the University of North Dakota’s political science department, said “loyalty or purity tests” aren’t unusual in states where a party has a strong majority. “If he is recalled, I really think it’s a warning to other representatives to pay attention to the more conservative” faction of the party, Jendrysik said. The party is now defending Kiefert, calling the recall “a misguided attempt by a select group of individuals to thwart the democratic process for their own gain.” Dan Johnston, who aligned himself with the far right during two terms in the Legislature, is now the party chairman in Kiefert’s district. “I’ve never seen myself as a career politician.” Former GOP House Majority Leader Al Carlson called Kiefert “a far right-wing conservative” and said he thinks he’s being targeted as a personal vendetta.
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Far right tugs at North Dakota Republican Party
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