Rob Port

North Dakota

Blogger and Columnist at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Podcast Host at Plain Talk With Rob Port Podcast

Columnist at Forum Communications

Journalist at Say Anything Blog

Reporter and columnist for @inforum, and host of the Plain Talk podcast. Tip? Email [email protected]

Articles

Port: Sometimes I hate being right

2 days ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — There is a perception of reporters and commentators that we're essentially trolls, delighting in roiling the masses through the dissemination of bad news. "If it bleeds it leads," and all that. In fairness, some of that perception is well earned. There are certainly sensationalists and bad actors working in the news media. All the more as the boundaries between who is and is not "the media" have blurred.
Port: Property tax reform shifts the onus back to local governments

3 days ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — Gov. Kelly Armstrong’s property tax plan, with its $1,600 credits for primary residences and 3% caps on local spending growth, is more than just a curative for voters rightfully cranky about their property tax bills. It’s also an impetus for reforming local government. In politics, there are really only two types of debate. One is about the policy to be implemented. Should taxes be lower or higher? Would a traffic circle be a salubrious remedy for congestion at a particular intersection?
Port: The 2026 election cycle may be an inflection point for North Dakota's Republicans

3 days ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT β North Dakota was once a purple state that sent an all-Democratic delegation to Congress. That changed. The reason why is something North Dakota's Republicans should be thinking about. Gov. Kelly Armstrong won election last year in a landslide. Despite a three-way race, with a far-right independent ticket pulling more than 20,000 votes, Armstrong and his running mate, Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden, received more votes than President Donald Trump. Only Rep.
Port: NDGOP to consider resolutions censuring Armstrong, Legislature over property taxes and book ban

4 days ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — One of the most interesting questions for the 2026 election cycle will be how much the North Dakota Republican Party — by which I mean the party organization itself, not necessarily its various candidates — is relevant to voters. The Republican brand is a potent one in North Dakota, no doubt about it. In most parts of the state, a Republican party affiliation is enough to almost guarantee a candidate the majority of the vote.
Port: The ugly thing we've grown accustomed to

2 weeks ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT โ The resignation of Williston City Commissioner Tate Cymbaluk should have made more news in our region. Not because Cymbaluk's office was of any particular prominence. Though Williston is in the heart of North Dakota's oil country and has grown dramatically over the last decade and a half, it remains a small town on North Dakota's western edge.
Port: Performative politicians make poor public servants

2 weeks ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT โ In this oh-so-populist era, when, thanks to social media, anyone who wants to be can be the star of their own reality show, many politicians are more performers than public servants. Self-aggrandizement has always been a part of politics โ the term "grandstanding" has been with us for a long time โ but social media has allowed our political class to plumb new depths of narcissism.
Port: The 3 possible outcomes from Armstrong's veto mistake

2 weeks ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — When I wrote Thursday about the veto mistake Gov. Kelly Armstrong's office made, I said that, "I suspect that calling the Legislature back is going to be necessary."I still think that's possible, but having chewed on this overnight, I'm less convinced that it's likely. This is an unusual situation, and we probably don't have any business speaking of outcomes with certainty.
Port: Armstrong's veto mistake creates some headaches

2 weeks ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — The worst part of the fallout from Gov. Kelly Armstrong's veto mistake is that it will almost certainly result in a costly return of lawmakers to Bismarck. Intending to line-item veto a $150,000 grant for a Native American homelessness liaison position in the Industrial Commission’s budget, Armstrong instead, apparently due to some clerical error, vetoed an entire section of the bill including $25 million in affordable housing initiatives and $10 million in services for homelessness.
Port: We can't afford to let partisanship scuttle meaningful spending reforms

2 weeks ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT — As we get a steady drip of local stories about how spending cuts are impacting our communities, here's something to keep in mind: Our federal budget deficit hasn't been less than $1 trillion since 2019. In fiscal year 2024, our nation collected $4.29 trillion in revenues and made $6.75 trillion in expenditures, leaving us with a single-year deficit of $1.83 trillion. The entire national debt after the first year of the George W.
Plain Talk: 'Our partners in the Republican Party'

2 weeks ago | inforum.com | Rob Port

MINOT â€” On this episode of Plain Talk, Sen. Josh Boschee, D-Fargo, characterized the just-completed legislative session as marked by crucial victories but also "too many missed opportunities" and numerous "close calls on bad Republican bills."He emphasized how Republicans and Democrats worked together to achieve both. Among the victories? Passing Gov.