The North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party's candidate for U.S. Senate has hired "a state progressive coalition leader" as his campaign manager, the party announced Thursday.
State Sen. Tracy Potter, Bismarck, picked up Don Morrison as his campaign manager. Potter is running against Republican Gov. John Hoeven and Libertarian candidate Keith Hanson to win the Senate seat that has been held by retiring Sen. Byron Dorgan since 1992.
In a written statement, Potter said Morrison is "as committed to public service as anyone I know" and someone with "great relations with Farmers Union members, working people and consumers.
"He's an experienced organizer and is just the veteran we need to lead a team of volunteers," he said.
In that statement, Morrison wrote that he's "excited" to join the campaign for Potter, a man who "listens to people, understands North Dakota and is an excellent problem solver.
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"This year North Dakotans have the rare opportunity to choose a new voice for us in Congress," Morrison said. "We need Sen. Potter because he understands everyday people who work hard for a living."
Morrison served as assistant campaign manager for Dorgan's 1984 re-election campaign to the U.S. House, and was also a volunteer on Democratic-NPL Sen. Kent Conrad's 1986 upset win against Republican Sen. Mark Andrews.
For the past 14 years, Morrison has been executive director of statewide economic and social justice advocacy group NDPeople.org. He is on leave of absence from the group during the campaign.
Potter to hold YouTube 'fireside chats'
Potter's campaign for the U.S. Senate will include a weekly series of "fireside chats," his campaign manager announced Friday.
Potter will discuss a campaign issue each week. The videos will be released at 9 p.m. each Sunday on his website, www.tracypotterforsenate.com , as well as his Facebook and YouTube pages.
"This is a way to discuss things in more depth than is possible in 30 second TV ads," Potter said in a written statement, "and it's basically free."
The video series is "sort of the same idea" as his pledge earlier this year to speak at every county courthouse in North Dakota. He's gone to 14 of the 53 counties so far.
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"The courthouse tour is old school campaigning, and YouTube is right now," Potter said. "But both methods are about presenting voters with more substance than can be done in 30 seconds."
House recognizes 60th anniversary of Korean War
The U.S. House has passed a resolution co-sponsored by Pomeroy to recognize the 60th anniversary of the June 25, 1950 start of the Korean War.
In a Thursday written statement, Pomeroy said millions of Americans served worldwide in this conflict and more than 50,000 of them died. The country remains "indebted" to North Dakota's Korean War veterans "who made such heroic sacrifices" on behalf of the U.S., he said.
"Especially in times like these, when we see unrest on the Korean peninsula, I believe it is important that we recognize the sacrifice that our soldiers made -- not for their own personal gain, but in the interest of democracy and the good of the world," Pomeroy said.
The resolution recognizes the historical importance of the 60th anniversary and "honors the noble service and sacrifice" of the country's armed forces.
It also urges Americans to participate in commemorative activities, calls upon President Barack Obama to issue a proclamation recognizing the anniversary and "reaffirms the commitment of the United States to its alliance with the Republic of Korea for the betterment of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula."
Johnson reports on local politics. Reach him at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
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