Republican Kelly Armstrong, U.S. congressman from Dickinson, and Democratic-NPL candidate Merrill Piepkorn, a state senator from Fargo, are joined by independent Michael Coachman of Larimore, a U.S. Air Force veteran, on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.

Armstrong said he believes in conservative leadership and its power to unleash the full potential of North Dakota residents.

Armstrong stated what sets him apart from the previous administration is his focus.

” I would be the first governor in years to not be focused on jobs, jobs, jobs,” he said.

Merrill Piepkorn

Armstrong said he wants to focus on value-added agriculture, which will push the industries within the state itself. He also wants to continue to grow the state’s Legacy Fund as a protective measure for the state against fluctuations of tax income from the oil and gas industry.

He said the biggest headwind North Dakota faces is federal bureaucracy. While he’s been in Washington, he’s been the defense attorney for the state, safeguarding it anyway he can, he said.

Regardless of what happens with property tax elimination in Measure 4 on the Nov. 5 ballot, property tax reform must be the first item of business when the Legislature reconvenes, he said at a recent gubernatorial debate. He spoke about the tax relief the Legislature has attempted through taking over previous functions of local governments but added, “If you don’t attach reform to it, you are doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

His other listed priorities include developing a plan of attack to combat the influx of illegal opioids, including more treatment and education and stemming the flow across the nation’s borders; collaboration with community leaders and stakeholders to create meaningful property tax reform; and protection of Second Amendment freedoms and lives of the unborn.

Piepkorn highlighted differences with Armstrong on the issues of abortion and school choice.

Michael Coachman

“I am completely, 100%, for using public money for public education and do not believe that vouchers or any other financial incentive from the state should go to private schools for several reasons,” he said.

“I would describe myself as pro-life, but I am not in a position to decide for a woman,” he added. “I am standing strong for a woman’s right to choose and determine her own healthcare without government interference.”

Piepkorn also said he is opposed to eliminating either the state’s income tax or property taxes.

“I am for property tax reform,” he said. “We’ve got to all sit down and figure this stuff out together. I would be happy to lead the conversation.”

He said he can support increasing state aid to K-12 education to 100%, reducing the pressure on schools to raise property taxes. He would consider freezing or eliminating property taxes for seniors aged 65 and older, while supporting increased funding to help pay for home-care providers to keep the elderly in their homes.

Piepkorn, who spent his early childhood on the family farm near Stanley, said another priority is assisting young farmers with low- to no-interest loans to address the high capital costs of starting out.

Piepkorn said the state can find the funding for priorities by taking a closer look at the multi-millions of dollars going to large special interest projects from out of state.

“We need to grow industry. I understand that, but we need just to take a closer look,” he said. For that reason, he supports having the Democratic-NPL Party represented in the governor’s office and on the Industrial Commission.

“There would be at least a robust discussion about these projects,” he said.

“The Republicans in state government feel that they are entitled. I think it’s a feeling of entitlement and immunity from public scrutiny because they’ve had such a supermajority for so many years,” Piepkorn said. “Having a Dem-NPL governor can help add balance to state government.”

Coachman said his main goal as governor would be to bring the state back to following its constitution and put power back in the hands of the people.

“By following the North Dakota constitution and U.S. Constitution, it would alleviate anywhere from 95 to 98% of the issues that we have as a state,” he said. “The constitution is not being followed in almost every area.”

The constitution prohibits taxes against property, Coachman said.

“Freedom is always attached to the land,” he said. “If you can tax a personal property, then you’re not free, and that’s the key.”

Without property taxes, outside companies could be enticed to the state and people would move to the state because of the ability to own their homes, causing the economy to grow, he said.

He said he would take much of what he considers wasted money by the state and invest into small towns and into infrastructure.

“I will downsize government immensely, because we have a lot of unconstitutional spending,” he said.

For all the billions of dollars in North Dakota, most residents have not benefited, Coachman added.

“I’ve been here since 1990,” he said. “I haven’t seen one benefit that they talk about that has trickled down to the individuals.

“If it violates the U.S. Constitution, if it violates the North Dakota constitution, and if it doesn’t benefit the people of North Dakota, I’m not signing it,” he said. “We have the money to invest in our own state. That’s where we have to start. You see the state investing in China, a foreign entity, an enemy and other things, but they’re not really invested in North Dakota.”

As an independent, Coachman said he believes he can work with legislators on both sides of the aisle. In his 20 years in the military, he learned to work with people from all walks of life, he said.

Coachman was stationed in Illinois, Wyoming, California and Germany before coming to Grand Forks Air Force Base. He worked many years with missile systems and ended his career working in coding and as a code instructor before retiring in 1997.