North Dakota's secretary of state race has generated more buzz than usual this election season, something incumbent Republican Al Jaeger attributes to a "quite aggressive" campaign by Democratic challenger Corey Mock.
He said the charges Mock has raised this year haven't been easy to respond to, making it a "challenging" campaign as Jaeger runs for a sixth term in the office he's held since 1992.
"His very quick partisan sound bites have been very challenging," he said. "We have answers for every one of them, but they're not easily explained in five or six words."
Mock, a native of Minot who moved to Grand Forks in 2003 to attend UND, has represented District 42 in the North Dakota House since 2008.
During the campaign, he's brought up several examples of what he calls "mismanagement" in the secretary of state's office.
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But he said one instance that "raised a lot of red flags" was Jaeger's actions after his office misplaced paperwork filed by Joshua Voytek, the Libertarian public service commissioner candidate. The mistake caused the candidate to not be listed on the June 8 primary ballot, but Voytek will be included on the Nov. 2 ballot.
"It sat on a stack of paper for six weeks before it was finally seen again," Mock said. "And there was no law or formal attorney general's opinion giving Jaeger authority to rectify the situation."
Jaeger said his staff handles "literally thousands of details," but occasionally "something gets missed."
"I would say our batting average is 99 percent, and that's not what's being portrayed by Rep. Mock," he said.
Jaeger said he discussed the incident with legal counsel, and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem indicated there would be no need to do anything further.
The issues
Jaeger and Mock said the choice voters face on Election Day comes down more to their experience and goals than the 41-year age gap that divides them.
But age is a factor in the experience they both touted as something that would make them the best person to serve as North Dakota's chief election official.
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Mock, 25, said being young is an advantage in some ways because he grew up with computers and the Internet and he understands the "technological challenges" now facing the office.
It also helps push him on the campaign trail and in his duties as executive director of the nonprofit Third Street Clinic in Grand Forks, he said.
"I certainly have a lot to prove because of the age," Mock said.
Jaeger, 66, said his "extensive amount" of background, including five years as a high school teacher and 20 years as a business owner, helped prepare him for the job.
If re-elected, Jaeger said he'd focus his efforts on continuing "what we've done in the past," including bringing bills for consideration to the North Dakota Legislature to "clarify and improve" laws and procedures.
He said more than 350 bills have been initiated and drafted by his office in the past 18 years, with many of the bills getting the "overwhelming" support of lawmakers.
"I know what I'm good at, and the job that I have matches very well with my skills," he said. "I think it's proven in my record."
Mock said the biggest issue facing whoever wins the election will be improving the efficiency of the office -- an effort he said would take "hands-on leadership."
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He said the government -- and the secretary of state's office, which handles business filings -- needs to be responsive to the state's booming economic development.
"I think Secretary Jaeger has been working from a management style that he brought with him in 1992, and it really hasn't been updated," Mock said. "North Dakota is moving in a new direction."
Johnson reports on local politics. Reach him at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
