Feb. 15—GRAND FORKS — North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak has officially announced her bid for North Dakota’s U.S. House Seat.
Fedorchak now enters a Republican primary race against
Rick Becker
and
Tom Campbell
. Fedorchak is in her third term on the state Public Service Commission. The commission has regulatory authority over electric and gas utilities, telecommunications companies, railroads and pipelines in the state. Fedorchak has served on the commission since she was appointed by Gov. Jack Dalrymple in 2012 and has won election three times to the commission since.
Fedorchak said she hopes to bring expertise to Washington from her three decades in politics and her experience in energy policy, especially for the future of energy reliability in the United States.
“I’ve got three decades of experience working in both government and business, most recently as public service commissioner with a front seat on the energy boom in North Dakota,” Fedorchak told the Grand Forks Herald. “I felt like my experience at the Public Service Commission was somewhat unique and would be really helpful for North Dakota in the U.S. House.”
Current Rep. Kelly Armstrong,
who’s running for governor
, serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which covers issues from energy policy to consumer protection.
“Armstrong (is) a really strong member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and people turn to him for leadership. I think I can fill that seat and help provide the depth of knowledge,” Fedorchak said. “My appreciation for the major role that energy plays in our economy, safety of our communities and in our national security was a big driver for me getting into this race.”
With more than a decade of experience in energy regulation, Fedorchak said she also hopes to help bring expertise to Washington help maintain the reliability, security and safety of the national grid and railroads across the country.
She added that she’s often frustrated with the lack of understanding in Washington with how energy systems work in the United States.
In addition to being on the Public Service Commission, she is the president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. The organization represents state public service commissions and seeks to improve public utility regulation’s quality and effectiveness.
Fedorchak also wants to dig into making sure the federal government has a balanced budget and less debt.
She said that, if elected, she looks forward to “really digging in on the budget and being part of a coalition of serious-minded leaders from around the country and the House who want to work together on a long-term debt reduction plan to get our government on sound financial footing. That’s really important.”
She also said would enjoy working with the North Dakota agricultural community on the next Farm Bill to bring the best federal program to those people as well as to maintain the safety and security of the United States’ food production.
Fedorchak also said she will seek the NDGOP endorsement and plans to attend its April convention in Fargo, but she will go to the June 11 primary regardless of the convention’s outcome. Only she and Campbell are eligible for the party’s endorsement, as Becker ran outside of the Republican Party within the past three election cycles. He ran as an independent against Sen. John Hoeven in 2022.
Fedorchak was born in Williston, grew up in Fargo and Bismarck, and is a graduate of UND. Before becoming public service commissioner, Fedorchak was communications director for Gov. Ed Schaffer from 1994 to 2000, president of Liffrig Communications, her own marketing and public relations firm, from 2000 to 2010, and then was state director for Hoeven’s Senate office. Fedorchak currently lives in Bismarck with her husband, Mike, and their three children.
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