Port: Is North Dakota still open for business?

Port: North Dakota's Democrats are playing nice with the right-wing populists of the NDGOP

MINOT — The horseshoe theory in political science asserts that the far-left and the far-right, rather than being at opposite ends of a linear spectrum, actually bend toward each other and share significant similarities — much like the ends of a horseshoe. But it seems to be less theory and more reality in North Dakota in the 2026 cycle. Consider the way things stand as we begin campaign season. The long-dominant North Dakota Republican Party is …

Port: Is North Dakota still open for business?

MINOT — Years ago, way back in 2013, the Greater North Dakota Chamber of Commerce was trolling our neighbors in Minnesota with billboards declaring North Dakota as "open for business." It was a controversial move. "The implied message was that Minnesota was not as warm to commerce," the Jamestown Sun reported at the time. Then as now, North Dakota could boast generally lower taxes and business-friendly laws and regulations, and our economic pict…