Jill Schramm/MDN U.S. House candidate Charles Tuttle gives thumbs up as he stands alongside a travel trailer with flags, quilts and other items he shows around the state as he collects signatures of support for President Trump. He hopes to eventually offer his collection for Trump’s presidential library.

Charles Tuttle is a President Trump supporter who carries around a copy of the Republican platform. He’s also running for North Dakota’s seat in the U.S. House as an independent, rather than a Republican.

For someone who has collected thousands of signatures to place multiple measures on ballots in several states over the years, gathering more than 1,000 signatures to earn a ballot spot was a familiar project for the Minot resident once he made the decision to enter the race.

“I am not politically ambitious. That’s not why I am doing this. It’s to make a difference, to create a sounding board so people know what’s really going on,” he said.

Tuttle is campaigning on securing the country’s borders and getting rid of Common Core to return curriculum decisions to local school boards. He also lends support to the Trump agenda, including building a southern wall and giving tariffs time to work to bring jobs back to America.

“I hope people equate Tuttle with Trump,” he said. He doesn’t plan to seek the president’s backing, though.

“I am endorsing Trump. I don’t need him to endorse me,” he said.

Beyond the president’s agenda, Tuttle has been particularly vocal on a couple of other issues. He’s a strong proponent of having a Sioux nickname for the University of North Dakota and of passing a shared parenting law – both issues on which voters have differed with him at the ballot box.

“I am passionate about a lot of different issues,” Tuttle said. “I don’t see that in these people who are running for office.”

He is challenging endorsed candidates, Republican Kelly Armstrong and Democrat Mac Schneider.

Tuttle has been involved in petitions and campaigns ranging from the recall of a Bismarck mayor to a measure currently on the ballot to provide free license plates to volunteer emergency responders. He’s one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the state over the ceding of mineral rights under Lake Sakakawea to private landowners.

He considers himself to be one of the most politically experienced people on the ballot, given his long-time interest and involvement in the political process, even though this is his first run for office.

So why take this new step in political activity?

“I have talked more people in running for office in my lifetime than you can shake a stick at. Maybe it’s time for me,” Tuttle said.

He also says there needs to be someone to stand up for the Republican principles that he believes the party is neglecting.

“It’s so pathetic that the Republican Party is not governing,” he said. “Republicans are scared of their own shadow. I am going to take positions. They may not like them, but I am going to take them. … Bipartisanship has gotten us to where the world has been stealing our wealth through tariffs. Bipartisanship has given us open borders. Bipartisanship has taken trillions of dollars of debt and dug a deeper hole.”

Much of what he would like to change is at the state level, such as increasing local control of education, reducing spending and ensuring oil companies protect the land. He believes those same issues are relevant for a U.S. House candidate.

“In order to make decisions at the national level, you need to be aware of issues on the local level,” he said.

Tuttle has been a familiar face around Republican events in and outside of North Dakota, where he sells a variety of Republican and Trump merchandise. Social media also has been a way for him to get his message out, and he expects to rely heavily on it in his campaign, along with traveling from event to event as he’s always done.

If his effort should fail, he says he’ll be back in 2020 to try again.