Monday, April 8: the last day to file paperwork to run for North Dakota’s only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Some might think it’s last minute, but not for Cara Mund, who chose that day to announce her campaign. There was speculation on whether the former beauty queen was going to run again, and more speculation if it was going to be as a Republican.
Now that is clear: it’s going to be interesting as it’s her first race as a Republican and her second race for the U.S. Representatives. After Mund announced her campaign by posting to social media that day, many people including myself wondered if anything would change, especially in her beliefs now that she’s in the Republican party.
You don’t have to wonder any longer, as Mund made it clear to me, saying, “In 2022, a lot of the issues that we were debating are still issues today, two years later. I’ve stayed the same candidate in my beliefs.” One of her beliefs that stood out to people last campaign was her advocacy for women’s reproductive rights. Some people called her a one issue candidate because of how passionate she was about her beliefs. In fact, she wants people to know she’s the opposite, that she’s not a one issue candidate.
Some of the issues that are important to Mund are securing the border, curbing inflation, and ensuring democracy. Speaking of democracy, she has a ‘controversial’ opinion, stating that democracy should not be politicized. In fact, Mund even made a valid point, saying: “You know, and one of the core values of the Republican Party is limited government, and I agree with that, so I don’t think that they should be able to control women.”
As for one immediate change to the government she would make, Mund said it would have to be professionalism. Adding, “I am very concerned, like since 2022 they could not keep a speaker. There’s so much infighting. There’s name calling. There’s who can get the headlines, and while they do all that the people who suffer are Americans, North Dakotans. I don’t think we can actually come to negotiations and agreements and be civilized until we treat each other with respect.”
As for how she’s been treated, it’s no different than last time. The name calling and sexism has continued, but she recognizes that at least she’s getting her message out and that’s what she tries to focus on. She’s been an Independent, now a Republican, and if she was a Democrat, she said she would have gotten a lot of name calling as well. Mund said, “If people are upset and they’re gonna attack me for my gender, that’s nothing I can do. And it reflects more on them than it reflects on me.”
Lastly, Mund has some advice for first time voters saying, “Educate yourself as much as you can on the candidates. I know it can be tempting to ask your parents or ask your family like who are you voting for, but at the end of the day, your vote matters more when you know why you casted it.”
The primary election is Jun. 11 while the general election is Nov. 5 which you do not need to register for if you are a North Dakota resident as North Dakota is the only state where you don’t have to register to vote. For those voting in the primaries, you need to remember that you can only vote in a certain party’s primary. For example, if you want to vote to choose a Republican candidate in the race for Governor, you can’t vote in the Democratic primary to choose a Democratic candidate. For more information about the elections and candidates running in each election, visit vote411.org.