I feel compelled to respond to a recent letter that was submitted by Albert Krueger, who is one of the candidates that is challenging Senator Jerry Klein, Rep. Robin Weisz, and me for District 14 Republican legislative primary endorsement.

The one thing that I will give each of our opponents is consistency. They have consistently attempted to distort the public record regarding our legislative record, accuse us of deception, and attack our character. That appears to be what their entire campaign is about. I am still waiting to hear one of their “fresh” ideas, or anything that they are in favor of.

Regarding the claims that Mr. Krueger makes in his letter, let me attempt to set the record straight. In an e-mail to the entire executive committee, Dennis Fred voluntarily resigned as District 14 chairman. He was advised by the state Party that his challenge to the District-endorsed candidates created a conflict with his work as chairman of the Party. It was explicitly pointed out to him in a letter from our Party Chairman that he could not force Mr. Fred to resign but that it would be the honorable thing to do. How does this compute to being forced to resign? I struggle to find a victim in this.

Mr. Krueger alleges that the State Republican Party is helping the three endorsed candidates with campaign mailings. Nothing could be further from the truth. We as candidates put the mailing together and because we are the endorsed candidates, we are allowed to purchase the mailing permit from the Republican Party. And that is the extent of any involvement from Party Headquarters. Again, where is the victim?

When we met as an executive board to fill the vacancy that Mr. Fred left with his voluntary resignation, we met all meeting notice requirements, and Mr. Krueger as well as every other member received notice of the meeting. We were able to conduct business of the District that had been put on hold since November 30, 2015, as Mr. Fred refused to call any executive committee meetings. Although this may be one of their “fresh” ideas, I don’t look at it as very open or democratic. Again, who is the victim in this instance?

Finally, he alleges that our campaign has spoken half-truths and accuses us of pandering at election time. Each of us stands by every word that we have put forward in our campaign as being 100 percent accurate. We work very hard to represent everyone in District 14 and I believe our record would indicate that we are very approachable and committed to the citizens we represent. In addition, we are all actively involved in each of our communities.

I believe one should ask our opponents what they actually stand for. I am sick and tired of hearing about how they are victims in this campaign. They made a conscious decision to run and have been treated very fairly. If they cannot take responsibility for their actions now, are these the individuals you want representing you in the ND legislature? The answer seems obvious.

Jon Nelson,

District 14 Representative