PHOTO: Pictured in front, from left: Tim Spilman, Dale Pittman, Kevin Horneman, Dr. Jason Thoms, and Kimball Banks. Back, from left: Kelly Spilman, Stacie Kruckenberg, Taylor Johnson, Tiffany Williams-Rice, Lynne Lafer-Halvorson, Rissa Williams, and Signe Snortland.
Candidates endorsed at Region 6 district conventions
Bismarck, ND — Voters across nine Bismarck-Mandan districts gathered Saturday, February 7 at Sunrise Elementary School in Bismarck for a series of high-energy conventions to endorse legislative candidates and elect delegates to the upcoming Democratic-NPL State Convention which will be held March 6-8 in Bismarck.
Before the districts broke out into their conventions, a moment of silence was held for three U.S. citizens killed in encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): Alex Pretti, 37, killed on January 24, 2026; Renee Good, 37, killed on January 7, 2026; and Keith Porter, 43, killed on December 31, 2025.
Then, three candidates who will be in a runoff seeking the state’s Dem-NPL’s endorsement in a race against U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., gave speeches about their campaign:
• Vern Thompson, Minnewauken, a former North Dakota legislator, delivered his address via a pre-recorded video. Thompson has expressed the damage that Fedorchak’s vote for the Big Beautiful Bill has caused to cuts in healthcare funding and criticized Fedorchak for not holding town hall meetings.
• Helene Neville, Jamestown, chose the Bismarck event to announce her candidacy. Neville is a traveling nurse who had been coming to the state since 2012 and became a resident to North Dakota in 2020. She talked about overcoming a personal battle against cancer and surviving three surgeries, and her running journey across the country to raise awareness about cancer and to see how people in the country are living and getting by. She said she is running for Congress to give back to the state for taking care of her during her cancer battle.
• Trygvie Hammer, Minot, spoke of the state’s current congressional delegation “sitting on their hands” while actions by the curent administration such as tariffs, ICE, and Big Beautiful Bill cuts to Medicaide were unleashing damage to the state and country. Trygvie also used a personal experience of his father recently passing away and working through the spend down of his father’s assets until just $3,000 remained in order to quality for Medicaid-funding nursing care. Hammer also said he is currently working through the nursing home invoicing him for $47,000 of an unpaid balance of his father’s nursing home care. Hammer spoke of the need to reform the program as the $3,000 spend down limit has been in place for decades and hasn’t been increased to accommodate for inflation, which would enable a person to keep more of their lifesavings.
During the conventions, delegates had the opportunity to meet with the Dem-NPL legislative candidates and candidates challenging Fedorchak.
After the districts concluded their conventions, the candidates endorsed in the districts were revealed as follows:
District 7:
• Kevin Horneman
• Dr. Jason Thoms
• Tiffany Williams-Rice
District 31
• Kelly Spilman
• Tim Spilman
• Rissa Williams
District 33
• Kimball Banks
• Stacie Kruckenberg
• Signe Snortland
District 35:
• Taylor Johnson
• Lynne Lafer-Halvorson
• Dale Pittman
“The energy in these rooms today was unmistakable,” said Bob Valeu, Chairman of the Bismarck-Mandan Dem-NPL organization. “Voters are ready for leaders who will actually listen. We are fielding a slate of candidates committed to solving the real-world problems facing North Dakotans—affordability, housing, property taxes, and public education.”
“The endorsements come at a critical time,” Value said. “North Dakota’s current supermajority has lost touch with the needs of everyday citizens. They are granting over $1.3 million in bonuses while failing to fund school meals, and they are also trying to weaken the constitutionally protected initiative process.”
Valeu said the initiative process enables the state’s citizens to bypass the legislature to implement statutes or constitutional amendments when the legislature is ignoring the will of the people on issues.
“When leaders ignore the voters’ decision on term limits and prioritize the well-connected politicians over school children, it’s clear they’ve stopped caring,” Valeu added. “Our candidates offer a different path. We are ready to lead with ethics and restore accountability to state government.”
Valeu said the Democratic-NPL candidates will be focusing on a plan to reprioritize the state’s spending so that it strengthens the foundation for every family and ensures a brighter, more affordable future for all North Dakotans.
“It is time for a change,” said Valeu. “We are ready to listen, ready to lead, and ready to serve.”