North Dakota federal candidates react to Trump-Biden debate

President Joe Biden, right, and the Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

To U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, the surprising thing about Thursday night’s debate was that people were surprised to see President Joe Biden struggle.

“I don’t know if that’s because Democrats sort of had their heads in the sand in all these months and years, or if it was just a more dramatic expression of Joe Biden’s problems,” said Cramer, R-N.D.

Though Cramer thinks Donald Trump won the debate, he wishes both candidates had stuck to policy rather than personal attacks.

“I don’t think anybody really cares who has the better golf game,” Cramer told the North Dakota Monitor.

Katrina Christiansen, the Democratic-NPL candidate running against Cramer in November, said past candidates and presidents have had poor debate performances and gone on to win election, citing Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush as examples.

Christiansen said one thing that would alleviate concerns around the presidency is having an effective Congress.

“We have a vacuum when it comes to legislation,” Christiansen said in an interview. “They are just there to get rich or to be on the news or get attention and that is supremely frustrating to me.”

Democrat Trygve Hammer, who is running for North Dakota’s sole U.S. House seat, said the debate failed to address issues facing family farms and ranches.

“We can’t trust any president, from either party, to fix this,” Hammer said in a statement. “We need Congress to act decisively to protect our family farms and ranches from corporate consolidation and unfair trade practices that are decimating our rural communities.”

Hammer specifically called for reinstating Country of Origin Labeling in the Farm Bill. 

Republican U.S. House candidate Julie Fedorchak said in a statement that “Biden’s weak leadership is damaging our country, hurting our citizens and creating insecurity in our world.”

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