North Dakota Republican Party division apparent as new chair elected in split vote
Matthew Simon of rural Bismarck was elected chair of the North Dakota Republican Party on June 14, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
A divided North Dakota Republican Party elected a newcomer its new chair Saturday, with a nearly tied vote reflecting a split in the party.
Matthew Simon, vice chair for NDGOP District 8 who met many State Committee members for the first time at the meeting, narrowly defeated longtime party member Shane Goettle for the position.
The NDGOP State Committee, made up of district chairs from around the state, also passed resolutions criticizing actions from the recent legislative session. Republicans hold all elected statewide offices and supermajorities in the Legislature.
“It’s obvious they don’t think much of the governor and the Legislature,” said Speaker of the House Robin Weisz, R-Hurdsfield, who participated in the meeting as a proxy. “That, to me, was very apparent throughout the day. There’s a definite shift in the party.”
Goettle, a former national committeeman who previously worked for U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, sought to bring his experience to the party chair position. Former chair Sandi Sanford did not seek reelection.
It took five rounds of secret ballot voting before a chair emerged, according to those who attended the meeting, which was not open to the public.
Former lawmaker Judy Estenson withdrew from consideration on Saturday, which led to Goettle and Simon tied at 23-23. Goettle was viewed as a more establishment candidate while Simon saw support from the rising populist wing of the party.
After lunch, the vote shifted to 24-22 in favor of Simon.
“I think the outcome really does reflect the division of our party, and the party needs to be governed with that division in mind as a reality,” Goettle said Monday.
Simon said disagreements are bound to come up as the party moves forward.
“I was very upfront with my social and fiscal conservative leanings,” he said. “However, I have always been one that has an open ear to anybody that comes with a good-faith argument and is a well-reasoned person.”
Rep. Bernie Satrom, R-Jamestown, chair of NDGOP District 12, said he believes the right-wing members of the State Committee have a “general disdain” for Republican legislators and statewide office holders.
A resolution passed Saturday expresses disappointment with the property tax bill backed by the governor and adopted by lawmakers, calling it insufficient and inadequate. Another resolution criticized the governor for vetoing a library content bill and expressed disappointment that lawmakers failed to override the veto.
“There’s just a general nastiness that’s just not necessary,” Satrom said. “We can affirm protecting our children. We can affirm being concerned about what kind of things they have access to. But it’s really counterproductive to throw the governor and legislators under the bus.”
Satrom added he has not had much interaction with Simon, but he believed his business acumen makes him a qualified candidate.
“I guess it’s going to be interesting to see if he is going to want to unite the party or if he wants to alienate and divide,” Satrom said.
When asked about the potential for Republican Party loyalty tests, Simon said the state party has a limited amount of power over the endorsed candidates and Republican members at the district level.
“As a voluntary association, inevitably there is some sort of litmus test, which is what the party platform is for,” he said. “As far as me standing here and dictating who is and isn’t a Republican, no, that would be wholly inappropriate. That’s not my call.”
Satrom called the right wing of the party “out of step” with everyday Republicans in the state.
“I don’t think they particularly care for independent thinking and they like to do an educational process to kind of tell people what they should think,” Satrom said.
Rep. Karen Karls, Bismarck, chair of NDGOP District 35, called it “worrying” that she had not met Simon before Saturday’s meeting, while there were two other experienced candidates well known in the party.
She said she was offended by some comments made by committee members about state lawmakers.
“I kind of felt bullied, frankly,” Karls said. “No matter how much you tried to reason with people, to explain your point of view, to explain what your experience is, it didn’t matter.”
The meeting also featured about 20 new Republican district chairs, Goettle said, including some who had not previously held leadership positions. He added he respects the results of the leadership election and plans to continue advocating for Republican candidates and the state party.
“I think new energy is always good and I think there’s a balance between having consistency and new energy, between having reliable, trusted structure versus trying new things,” Goettle said.
Amy Dalrymple contributed to this report.
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