Balazs Wins NDGOP Convention Endorsement, Sets Up Primary Rematch With Fedorchak

Alex Balazs, a veteran from Cando, walked out of the North Dakota Republican Party's state convention in Minot on March 29 with unanimous delegate support for the state's lone U.S. House seat, setting up a second primary matchup with incumbent Rep. Julie Fedorchak on June 9.

The endorsement was uncontested: Balazs faced no opposition for the slot when delegates gathered at the weekend convention. The state party chose to formally back only a limited number of candidates this cycle, also endorsing Deven Styczynski for a Public Service Commission seat while declining to weigh in on several other statewide races, a sign delegates were deliberate about where they planted the party's flag.

In his convention address, Balazs cast the primary as a cause worth rallying around: "I'm asking you one thing: Let's make this stand together. We can do this. We can win this, and we will."

For Stutsman County Republicans, the endorsement carries practical weight. Jamestown, Medina, and Buchanan voters are all part of the same congressional district, and a state party endorsement typically accelerates volunteer mobilization and donor attention in the weeks before a primary. Balazs must still qualify for the June 9 ballot by petition, but the party's backing gives his campaign a structural head start heading into the spring push.

The two candidates have been here before. Fedorchak won their 2024 GOP primary matchup with a plurality, while Balazs finished behind her. This June's contest will be the second time in two cycles that Stutsman County Republicans help decide who carries the nomination.

Both campaigns will be collecting signatures and building local networks through April and May. County precinct contacts and the Jamestown Sun's politics pages are the clearest paths for tracking candidate events and local reaction as June 9 approaches.