Plain Talk With Rob Port

"If Governor Burgum's people win it will be a huge blow to conservatism," state Rep. Rick Becker said on this episode of Plain Talk. Becker is a Republican lawmaker from Bismarck and a founder of the Bastiat Caucus of conservatives in the Legislature. He was responding to a question about Governor Doug Burgum's involvement in the NDGOP primary season. Burgum has backed a number of candidates in contested legislative primaries across the state, as well a state Rep. Thomas Beadle in the NDGOP's nomination race for Treasurer, and he's put about $2 million of his own money behind the effort. Though Burgum is backing mostly candidates endorsed by the local NDGOP districts - incumbent Rep. Jeff Magrum in District 28 is the lone exception - Becker sees problems if Burgum gets his way. "His remaking of the Legislature in his own image is not good for the Republican party. It's not good for the state," Becker said. "I think it's unseemly," he added. "We know he doesn't care about the local party or the process," Becke