BISMARCK — Former State Senator Tracy Potter announced Thursday he is running for the North Dakota Senate seat in District 35 being vacated by Erin Oban.
Potter says the two major issues motivating his campaign are property tax relief for homeowners and protecting the rights of citizens to initiate and refer measures by what Potter called “direct democracy.”
Potter previously served in the state senate from 2006 to 2010 and ran against then-Governor John Hoeven for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
“A senator has two tools,” Potter said, “a vote and a voice. I plan to use my vote to promote fairness and equal opportunity. My voice will be for legislative restraint. In watching the legislature in recent sessions, they seem to ignore the limitations on their own power. We have a system of checks and balances and multiple layers of other elected local officials. And in our Constitution, the People are supreme. As legislators we need to remember our place and not over-reach our authority.”
Tracy Potter is a former teacher, historian, and author. He was President of the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation and the Missouri Riverboat Inc. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in History from UND.