Piehl for Senate

11/05/2014

I would like to once again thank you all for the support you have given me these past eight months. While there is bound to be some disappointment, I will add this to the life experiences that make me who I am. The one thing that I will cherish forever is the way my family stood by me and took care of everything in my absence. Now it is time to pay them back by being the best husband, dad, son and brother that I can possibly be.

11/04/2014

When I told my family that I had decided to run for the Senate, they said I had to do two things. Get rid of my old flip phone, and get on Facebook. Ugh, and Ugh!! As usual, they were absolutely right. To all of you who have been so kind as to read and comment on my posts, I can't thank you enough. There were so many times when just seeing who Liked something, was the little bright spot in an otherwise downer of a day. There have been some of you who have chosen to put yourself out there and make your thoughts known to all others. So unselfish of you. But just as important, I have learned more about all of you. Thanks for allowing me that privilege. Election Day is here. It's time. No matter the outcome, I will never regret this experience, and please know that I could not have gotten through it without all of you.

11/02/2014

Last spring while wrestling with my decision to run for the Senate, I attended Lenten Services at our sister Parish, Trinity Lutheran. It is a small country church south of Litchville. That evening, the lesson was about our basic human needs, one of which is good government. I'm not saying that my decision was cemented that night, but I have told Pastor JoAnne that it was a turning point in my heart. This morning while attending that same, quaint little church with my family, the Gospel was from Matthew 5:1-12. Jesus' teaching, it was explained, is shocking to those who seek wealth, fame, and control over others. Verse 11 reads; "Blessed are you when people revile and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely". It was exactly what I needed to hear today. My only wish was that my friend Erin Oban, who is having the same difficult experience as I am, could have heard it with us. We will continue down the high road.

11/01/2014

This is the reason I began knocking doors as early as I did. It's called corn. However, after we shut down last night I was able to head west to the Buffalo Supper in Streeter. Great example of community volunteerism at work. In keeping with tradition, I stepped in to help dry dishes until they were done. In all fairness, our opponents had done the same, only earlier. They looked shocked that one of the challengers would cross the boundaries into their turf. Change is so difficult for some.

10/30/2014

Some days your faith in people gets challenged. Other days it gets reaffirmed. I needed a day such as the latter. Thank you Velma.

Last week during the candidate forum on CSI Cable, Jeff Piehl, District 29 Democratic candidate for North Dakota Senate, pointed out that District 29 incumbent Sen. Terry Wanzek, R-Jamestown, voted to cut the oil extraction tax by 30 percent in the 2013 Legislative Session. It was Senate Bill 2336..…

10/29/2014

Our opponents say we don't stand for anything..... it's all lined out in this article.

The Democratic candidates in the District 29 legislative races want to add some balance to the North Dakota Legislature. They are challenging incumbents who are members of the Republican majority in the House and Senate. Jeff Piehl is seeking the Senate seat while Lori Carlson and Charles Linderman.…

10/29/2014

I am very grateful to Joel Heitkamp for contacting me and allowing me some time to defend myself on "News and Views" this morning. He picked up on the Letter to the Editor in the Jamestown Sun where I am accused of lying and was as repulsed as I was. It appears to be the incumbents strategy statewide to simply call their challengers "liars" when they can't defend a bad vote. Once again, balance in State Government would naturally take care of garbage tactics like this.

10/27/2014

Tonight it was my turn to vote. After knocking doors in Carrington yesterday, today was all about home. Fundraiser lunch for the LaMoure Ambulance Service, and fundraiser supper in Adrian for Trinity Lutheran Church. It takes all the edge off of campaign weariness to have friends and neighbors wish me luck and give me encouragement for the final week. I still had to take a long pause before darkening in that oval beside my name. A finish line that was so distant for so long is now so near. No regrets.

10/25/2014

I was proud to stand yesterday with other candidates and current legislators as Senate Minority Leader Mac Schneider spoke at a press conference in Fargo. The issue? Our opponents are all trying to hide from the fact that they supported a 30% reduction in the Oil Extraction Tax. A few have gone so far as to accuse some of us of lying when we bring up their voting record. The reason it didn't pass was the fact that North Dakotans spoke out in overwhelming opposition. Democracy works when our citizens become involved.

10/23/2014

Another new campaign experience tonight. We had a televised debate on Jamestown's community access channel. All our hours of preparation seems to have paid off!! So apparently it's ok to use your voting record when you think it's to your benefit. But when somebody else points out a questionable choice in your voting record it's being negative. Hmm....

10/18/2014

Scenes like this in my hometown of Marion will soon become common across North Dakota. Partly due to the fact that we were blessed with a very good soybean crop, but due in large part to our inability to move grain by rail like we should be able to. We all remember learning that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. For the economic good fortune of those shipping oil by rail there is a negative economic effect for agriculture. The increase transportation costs will result in close to $100,000 in lost revenue on my farm alone. Why should I and all other farmers and grain elevators be forced to shoulder this burden? We have been waiting for strong voices to speak on our behalf, and the response has been slow from Bismarck. Leadership is more than getting elected and putting your face on a billboard or a newspaper ad every four years.