📣 Get to know the leaders driving Americans for Prosperity - North Dakota. State Director - Justin Forde (@FordeCent) Deputy State Director - Megan Indvik (@MeganIndvik) Alongside Justin and Megan, the entire AFP-ND team is committed to expanding opportunity and prosperity across the state we all call home.

Just when you thought the show was over, the crowd chanted for an encore and Plain Talk returned to the stage! 🎙️🎸⚡ Surprise! A bonus sixth debate just dropped, diving into the high-stakes race for the North Dakota Public Service Commission between Jill Kringstad and Scot Kelsh. The PSC makes critical decisions impacting every household and business in our state. In this bonus round, the candidates tackle grid reliability, power supply security, regulatory oversight, and North Dakota's energy future. Watch the full bonus debate right here: youtu.be/yl66fJTfBMc?is=bTVp… You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. We love a surprise grand finale! 🤩 #NorthDakota #PSC #Energy #PlainTalk #NDDebates

The final debate in the Plain Talk series is officially live! 🎙️🍎 To wrap up the series, this debate takes on Constitutional Measure 2, which asks voters whether free school breakfast and lunch should be guaranteed to every North Dakota K-12 student directly in the state constitution. Outgoing Representative Zac Ista and veteran attorney Bob Harms go head to head on the core arguments: whether constitutionalizing school meals provides necessary relief for family budgets and student health, or whether placing entitlement programs in our state's foundational document is the wrong policy and the wrong process. Watch the full debate here: youtu.be/mIcQALGtrU4?is=23xD… You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform. A HUGE thank you to the team at Plain Talk and the hosts, Rob Port and Chad Oban, for putting together such thoughtful, in-depth discussions throughout this series. Americans for Prosperity - North Dakota has been proud to partner with Bismarck State College to help bring these critical debates straight to North Dakota voters. #NorthDakota #Measure2 #PlainTalk #NDDebates

Should changing North Dakota’s constitution require a higher bar? 📜🎙️ That question is at the center of the latest @PlainTalkND debate, featuring Grafton businessman James Kerian and North Dakota Watchdog Network director Dustin Gawrylow as they debate Constitutional Measure 1. The discussion tackles both perspectives head on: whether a 60% voting threshold protects our founding document from outside special interests, or whether it places unnecessary hurdles on the citizen initiative process. Watch the full debate here: youtu.be/Xyh2fWUei04?is=d1bE… You can also find the Plain Talk debates on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Sound public policy starts with engaged citizens. @AFPND is proud to join @Bismarck_State to ensure North Dakotans have front-row access to the debates shaping this election. Watch the discussion and share your thoughts in the comments! 👇🏻 #NorthDakota #Measure1 #PlainTalk #NDDebates

Can confirm. 💪🏻

The next debate in the Plain Talk series is officially live! 🎙️🌾 This round features incumbent Doug Goehring and challenger Vern Thompson in the race for North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner. Agriculture drives our state's economy, and this conversation digs into the critical issues facing North Dakota producers, from tariffs and markets to private property rights and rural development. Watch the full debate here: youtu.be/LtE-H5C5IgA?is=IX45… You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app or tune in on WDAY Xtra. An informed electorate is essential for a strong state, and Americans for Prosperity - North Dakota is proud to partner alongside Bismarck State College to help bring these vital policy conversations directly to North Dakota voters. #NorthDakota #Agriculture #PlainTalk #NDDebates

Round two is officially live! 🎙️ The second debate from the @PlainTalkND Debates series just dropped, featuring incumbent Levi Bachmeier and challenger Tracy Foss in the race to lead the ND Department of Public Instruction. From school funding and teacher retention to classroom technology and student performance, this conversation covers the biggest issues shaping K-12 education in our state. Watch the full debate here: youtube.com/watch?v=1PE5KKVK… An informed electorate is essential for a strong state, and we, @AFPND, are proud to partner alongside @Bismarck_State to help bring these vital policy conversations directly to North Dakota voters. #NorthDakota #Education #PlainTalk #NDDebates

⏰ Starting in 40 minutes! The @PlainTalkND Debates kick off TODAY at 4:00pm with the race for North Dakota’s U.S. House seat, featuring @fedorchak4ND and @TrygveHammer! Moderated by @robport and Chad Oban, the debate is presented by yours truly, @AFPND, and @Bismarck_State. Lots of ways to tune in: 🖥️ youtube.com/@plaintalknd 📺 WDAY Xtra 🎙️ All major podcast platforms An informed vote is a powerful vote, so make sure to tune in!

The @PlainTalkND debates are recording today, and the first episode drops TOMORROW, October 14! Hear directly on the issues that will define North Dakota’s future. How to tune in: 🔈 Follow Plain Talk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & YouTube 🖥️ Watch on WDAY Xtra #NDpol #NorthDakota

🗣️ Psst… North Dakotans… play along. Let them think we’re just a cold, windy rectangle with nothing to contribute. Just let them underestimate us. We know. 😏🇺🇸✌🏻 theonion.com/north-dakota-ap…

🤔 Let's talk about the difference between a voucher and an Education Savings Account. A voucher is a single-use coupon. The state cuts a check directly to a private school to subsidize tuition. An Education Savings Account is a dedicated state-funded allocation that reimburses families for eligible education expenses, which can include: ✅ Individual private tutoring ✅ Standalone curriculum and textbooks ✅ Online learning programs ✅ Transportation costs for rural families ✅ Fees for AP exams and college entrance tests ✅ Necessary educational technology and hardware ✅ Dual-credit college tuition and university textbooks ✅ And, yes, tuition to a private school Vouchers fund institutions. ESAs fund students. Last session, House Bill 1540 (which would have established an Education Savings Account program in North Dakota) passed both the House and the Senate, but was ultimately vetoed by the Governor. What's it going to take to get an Education Savings Account program up and running for North Dakota families next session? ‼️ Supporters of education freedom need to take action. Call your legislators. Show up at the Capitol to testify during session. Reach out to the Governor's office. Join us for the 2027 School Choice Celebration at the Capitol. And, at the very least, spread the word on the difference between a voucher and an Education Savings Account. Hard to have a good-faith debate about education policy when terms from 30 years ago are being tossed around.

🗳️ On the 2026 Ballot: North Dakota’s Measure 1 Should it take 60% of the vote to change our state constitution? We break down what Measure 1 actually means, the arguments on both sides, and what you need to know before you vote. Watch and drop your thoughts in the comments. For official measure language or to view your sample ballot, visit the North Dakota Secretary of State website at vote.nd.gov.

A big thank you to our state leaders for taking such an encouraging step forward for North Dakota education! 🎉 For years, families were told public education dollars must never cross into nonpublic schools. It was even referred to as “unconstitutional.” Enter Representative Mike Nathe, State Superintendent Levi Bachmeier, and Lieutenant Governor Michelle Strinden, joined by several other legislators, Nick Archuleta of North Dakota United, and Alexis Baxley of the North Dakota School Boards Association. Their new STAYS stipend proposal ties eligibility to NDCC 15.1-13-01, which covers licensed educators in all state-approved schools, public and private alike. In doing so, this coalition just affirmed that public trust dollars CAN follow educators into private classrooms. What visionary leadership! 👏🏻 If it’s legally sound to send public funds to a teacher in a private school classroom, it’s only natural to let public dollars follow the child sitting at the desk, too. To everyone at that podium: thank you. You proved public funds belong to the people, not the buildings. We cannot wait to expand on this in 2027!

With October right around the corner, @PlainTalkND just dropped all the details on their upcoming statewide debates. Voters deserve substantive answers and open discussion before heading to the ballot box. Plain Talk is hosting five debates covering key statewide races and ballot measures, co-moderated by @robport and Chad Oban in a roundtable format aimed at genuine conversation rather than podium talking points. The @AFPND Team is proud to partner alongside @Bismarck_State and fellow community sponsors to help bring these forums directly to voters across our state. Read Rob Port's full column on what to expect and how to tune in: inforum.com/opinion/columns/… ❓ Have a question you’d like answered? There’s still time to submit questions for candidates at plaintalknd.com. #NorthDakota #PlainTalkDebates #InformedVoters

"Secrets destroy trust in government." Senator Tim Mathern made that point during the recent special legislative session while advocating for an NDA ban. The core argument was simple: keeping the public in the dark damages credibility. 🔗 northdakotamonitor.com/2026/… It is difficult to square that principle with the latest news surrounding Prairie St. John’s Hospital. Prairie St. John’s recently finalized a $5.5 million settlement with North Dakota to resolve allegations of improper billing and double-billing state Medicaid and addiction voucher programs. Yet the public is only learning about it months later because the settlement included a specific provision barring state agencies from issuing a press release or holding a press conference. It even requires the state to notify the facility whenever someone requests the document. Senator Mathern works as the Director of Public Policy for Prairie St. John’s. When asked about the quiet clause his employer negotiated, he defended it as a way to avoid "inaccurate commentary" rather than an effort to hide information. 🔗 inforum.com/opinion/columns/… Non-disclosure... quiet clause... no matter what you call it, it's the opposite of transparency. Actively bargaining to ensure a multi-million-dollar settlement involving public healthcare dollars stays quiet is not open government. You can't argue that secrecy erodes public trust one day, and then defend provisions designed to keep the public uninformed the next. When tax dollars are involved, selective openness doesn't work. Transparency in government isn’t a pick-and-choose philosophy. It's the only option. We support Senator Mathern's original statement: "Secrets destroy trust in government."

We kicked off our Fight Socialism webinar series today, and Daniel Di Martino did not hold back. "Free things come at a high price." Daniel grew up in Venezuela and lived through the economic collapse firsthand before coming to America, earning his PhD in economics from Columbia, and dedicating his work to showing exactly how socialist policies destroy thriving nations. Hearing that reality directly from someone who survived it is a sobering reminder of why protecting economic freedom here at home matters so much. Missed today's discussion? Good news: this series is just getting started. Register now for the next one: afplink.org/4idxlGC

If government ran the local coffee shop: 🪪 You would need a permit to order a dark roast. 🚧 The drive-thru lane would be under construction until 2028. 📄 Every cup would come with a 14-page disclosure form and a surcharge to subsidize someone else's decaf. Thankfully, free enterprise still exists. Go support your favorite North Dakota coffee shop today. ☕

📣 What do we want? ACCOUNTABILITY! 📣 When do we want it? NOW! 📣 What else do we want? OVERSIGHT! 📣 When do we want it? YESTERDAY! The red flags are flying and taxpayers are demanding real accountability and much better oversight.