Shelley Lenz
Shelley Lenz is an American veterinarian, politician, and neuropharmacologist who was the Democratic-NPL nominee for the 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial election.
In the 1990s, Lenz worked in Venezuela on Huntington's disease research. In the 2000s and 2010s, she began two veterinary practices in North Dakota. In 2020, with her running mate Ben Vig, she unsuccessfully ran against incumbent governor, Republican Doug Burgum; Burgum received 69.2% of the vote and Lenz, 26.7%. In 2021, she ran to be the chair of the Democratic-NPL party, and in 2022, for State Senate in Dickinson's district; both were unsuccessful.
Career
Lenz is originally from Mount Vernon, Ohio.[1] In the 1990s, she received a doctorate in neuropharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania. She worked in Venezuela on the "international project to identify the gene that causes Huntington’s disease". In 2001, she received a veterinary degree from Ohio State University. Afterwards, she worked in California, Kentucky, and South Dakota. In 2007, she moved to North Dakota, and started a veterinary practice in Killdeer. In 2012, she started a second practice in Dickinson.[2][3] In 2014, she founded Sustainable Vets International, "a non-profit working to create sustainable local economies in underserved regions in such countries as Nicaragua, Uganda, and Pakistan."[2][4] At some point, she was a member of the Killdeer School Board.[5]
2020 North Dakota gubernatorial campaign
In 2020, at age 51,[5] Lenz ran as the Democratic-NPL nominee for the 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial election.[6][7] Her opponent in the general election, Republican Doug Burgum, was the incumbent governor.[2][8][9] She had voted for Burgum in 2016.[10] She announced her candidacy on January 31, 2020, and accepted her party's nomination for governor during a virtual convention held on March 21. (The convention, held from the 19th to the 22nd, was not held in-person due to the COVID-19 pandemic).[5][11][12] Her running mate was Ben Vig, a farmer and former state representative.[2][13][14]
Lenz' campaign was difficult as a Democrat, because a Republican had been governor for the last five decades.[2] She, along with other Democrats running in North Dakota historically, described herself as different from the major figures in her party.[15] She said she "identifies with certain aspects of the political platforms of Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump".[2] Lenz criticized Burgum's approach to healthcare and the pandemic; she said that, by that point, she would have enacted a mask mandate for every North Dakotan.[16][17][18] She also said he did not invest enough in the state's western agricultural and oil industries.[15] She also advocated for Juneteenth to become a federal holiday.[19] On July 21, 2020, Karen Stoker, Burgum's wife from 1991 to 2003, endorsed Lenz for governor.[20] The two candidates, as well as the Libertarian candidate DuWayne Hendrickson, had a televised debate on October 21.[21][22] On October 26, Joe Biden endorsed Lenz.[13] She was also endorsed by the state's AFL-CIO.[23]
By the election on November 3, Lenz had raised $297,000 in campaign donations, while Burgum had raised $1.3 million.[10][17] Burgum won the election.[10][24] He won at 69.2% with 235,479 votes, compared to Lenz' 26.7% with 90,789 votes. He earned 144,690 more votes.[25][26][27] DuWayne Hendrickson received 13,853 votes, at 4.1%.[28]
Since 2020
In February 2021, Lenz announced her campaign to be the chair of the Democratic-NPL party. Her running mate for vice chair, Cesar Alvarez, is a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation who is an advocate for Native American voting access and unsuccessfully campaigned to be a state representative in 2016.[29] In the party's vote on May 8, 2021, they selected Patrick Hart to be the new chair.[30]
In February 2022, Lenz called for the North Dakota State Investment Board to divest from all Russian bonds in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[31]
In March 2022, Lenz announced a campaign for the state senate in Dickinson, which is district 37.[32] She ran as an independent.[33][34] She did not appear on the ballot for the general election in November 2022.[35]
Personal life
Lenz lives in both Killdeer and Dickinson.[5][36][37] She is an atheist.[5]
References
- ↑ DURA, JACK (2020-01-31). "Western North Dakota veterinarian announces Democratic-NPL campaign for governor". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Equine veterinarian runs for governor in North Dakota | American Veterinary Medical Association". www.avma.org. 2020-05-13. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ Notermann, Jacob (2020-10-31). "Governor Race: COVID comparison". https://www.kfyrtv.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Dickinson/Killdeer veterinarian to run for governor". Dickinson Press. 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 DURA, JACK (2020-01-31). "Western North Dakota veterinarian announces Democratic-NPL campaign for governor". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ Hall, Louise (October 13, 2020). "North Dakota farmer ploughs Biden-Harris endorsement into field". The Independent. Retrieved September 10, 2024. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Choi, Joseph (2020-10-11). "North Dakota farmer goes viral for Biden-Harris message plowed into field". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ Axelrod, Tal (2020-06-10). "North Dakota Gov. Burgum set to face Democrat Shelley Lenz in gubernatorial race". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ "Viewpoint: Building back better in North Dakota". Grand Forks Herald. 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Seddiq, Oma. "Doug Burgum wins North Dakota governor race against Shelley Lenz". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ Jurgens, Paul. "ND Dems endorse Lenz for governor in virtual convention". The Mighty 790 KFGO | KFGO. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ "State Dems endorse Lenz for governor in virtual convention". AP News. 2020-03-21. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 DURA, JACK (2020-10-26). "Biden endorses Lenz for North Dakota governor". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ [email protected], Frank Stanko • Daily News (2020-09-03). "Lenz on Burgum: 'I don't know how he lives with himself'". Daily News & News Monitor. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "ND governor candidate Shelley Lenz says she's not like national Democrats". Grand Forks Herald. 2020-10-03. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ Staff, Site (2020-07-17). "Dr. Shelley Lenz Says Burgum "Lacks Leadership" When Dealing With COVID-19". KVRR Local News. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Some in North Dakota wish for tougher virus tack by governor". AP News. 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ MacPherson, James (October 18, 2020). "Some in North Dakota wish for tougher virus tack by governor". WANE. Retrieved September 10, 2024. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Staff, KVRR (2020-06-22). "Three States Do Not Recognize Juneteenth As A Holiday, Including North Dakota". KVRR Local News. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ "Port: Gov. Burgum's ex-wife endorses his opponent Shelley Lenz". Jamestown Sun. 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ Face To Face | North Dakota Governor Debate | Season 2020 | PBS. Retrieved 2024-09-10 – via www.pbs.org.
- ↑ Staff, Site (2020-10-22). "ND gubernatorial candidates talk coronavirus in first & only debate". KVRR Local News. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ "ND AFL-CIO Labor Endorsed Candidates for November 2020 | North Dakota AFL-CIO". ndaflcio.org. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ "North Dakota Governor Election Results". The New York Times. 2020-11-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ "North Dakota 2020 live election results". The Washington Post. November 16, 2020. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ "Former Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford busy with consulting work, but away from hustle of North Dakota Capitol". Grand Forks Herald. 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ "Reports: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum considering run for president". Keloland. May 18, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2024. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "North Dakota Governor Election Results | The Florida Times-Union". www.jacksonville.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ "Former gubernatorial candidate Shelley Lenz to run for North Dakota Dem-NPL chair". Dickinson Press. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ "North Dakota Dem-NPL party taps former auditor candidate as new chair". Dickinson Press. 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ "Dr. Shelley Lenz calls on SIB to divest from Russia". KX News. February 27, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2024. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Darnay, Keith (March 15, 2022). "Dickinson's Shelley Lenz running as an Independent for District 37 Senate". KX News. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ↑ "Plain Talk: Can an independent candidate in North Dakota win?". Jamestown Sun. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ Crane, Joel (2022-03-18). "Former Democrat running as Independent for State Legislature". https://www.kfyrtv.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Shelley Lenz". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ↑ Achterling, Jeff Beach, Amy Dalrymple, Michael (2024-01-23). "North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum not running for third term • Rhode Island Current". Rhode Island Current. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ↑ Achterling, Jeff Beach, Amy Dalrymple, Michael (2024-01-22). "Gov. Doug Burgum not running for third term • North Dakota Monitor". North Dakota Monitor. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
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