The Lincoln Day Dinner set for Sunday in the Grand Hotel in Minot will serve as the backdrop for the endorsement of District 38 Republican candidates for state Senate and House seats. Incumbent Sen. David Hogue and Reps. Dan Ruby and Larry Bellew have announced their intentions to seek endorsements.

First elected in 2008, Hogue says he will continue to support the state’s investment in flood protection for the Souris River Basin.

“We’re making excellent progress on flood protection for our region, and I am committed to ensuring progress continues to completion,” Hogue said. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and vice chairman of the permanent Water Topics Committee, Hogue has advocated for the accelerated construction of the Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection project as a means of reducing overall construction costs.

“We know that through inflation, mobilizing and demobilizing contractors, and other factors, these multi-year construction projects get more expensive in each year of construction. So, it makes sense to complete them in as few of construction seasons as reasonably possible,” he said.

Hogue is also a close observer of proposals related to the Legacy Fund.

“I am fully invested in making certain that Legacy Fund resources are used appropriately,” Hogue said. “I am opposed to use of the Legacy Fund to meet on-going, general fund obligations of state government. As its name implies, Legacy Fund expenditures should be used for projects or expenses that will benefit more than one generation of North Dakotans.”

Hogue, a lifetime North Dakotan, works as an attorney in private practice in Minot. He serves as the caucus chairman for Senate Republicans, chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He and his wife of 28 years, Paula, have two grown children.

Bellew was first elected to the House in 2000. He has served on the House Education and Government and Veterans Affairs committees. Currently, he is a member of the House Appropriations Committee. His interim committees are the Budget Section, Government Finance and Higher Education Policy. Bellew was House Speaker for the 2017 session.

His priorities for the upcoming session include property tax reform, income tax relief and using the Legacy Fund for what he believes it was intended – giving back to the citizens of North Dakota what is theirs. Bellew also wants to see K-12 education funding maintained or, if possible, increased. During the 2019 session, Bellew was the prime sponsor on the bill that lowered state income tax on Social Security income. He also fought to ensure that taxes were not increased on North Dakotans.

Bellew and his wife, Carol, are active in the District 38 Republican Party.

Ruby also was first elected to the House in 2000. He has served on the Industry, Business & Labor Committee and is chairman of the House Transportation Committee. In the interim, Ruby serves on the Agriculture, Transportation and Administrative Rules committees and is chairman of the Workers Compensation Review Committee. He also serves on the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council, the High-Level Radioactive Waste Advisory Council and the Special Road Funds Committee.

Ruby has worked to lower burdensome regulations for citizens and businesses. He sponsored legislation to facilitate testing and research of autonomous vehicles and passed several bills related to transportation issues. His priority throughout his legislative service has been to advocate for efficient government spending and limited government growth.

Ruby is president/CEO of Circle Sanitation Inc. and Noonan Landfill LLC. He and his wife, Lori, have been married for 36 years and have 10 grown children and 17 grandchildren.

The District 38 endorsing convention will immediately follow the completion of the Lincoln Day Dinner at about 6:45 p.m. For more information concerning this event, contact District 38 Chairman Jared Hendrix at libertyhendrix@gmail.com.

For more information on the Minot Area Republican Council Lincoln Day Dinner, check out the event on Facebook.