Wahpeton, N.D. – Hours after an announcement was made by local Republicans on a choice to fill a vacant seat left behind by the late North Dakota State Representative Cindy Schreiber-Beck, the state’s secretary of state is invalidating the selection.
Republicans in District 25 chose Terry Goerger to serve out the remainder of Schreiber-Beck’s term in the North Dakota legislature.
Schreiber-Beck, a longtime Wahpeton resident and legendary state aviator, died at the age of 70 back in May.
The Republican executive committee wanted Goerger to hold the position until November 2026.
But in a separate statement, North Dakota Secretary of State Michael Howe says the seat will remain open because the selection is “not from an organized committee representing the district.”
Howe’s office confirmed the receipt of a letter about the appointment from Ann B. Smith.
But the office statement went on to say the choice cannot be recognized “until there is an organized District 25 Republican committee and chairman”, indicating the process of selecting a leader was not completely followed.
“When a political party district committee selects officers, they forward the name and contact information of the chairman selected in the district to the political party state committee,” the statement said.
“As has been documented through various media reports and through a memo from the NDGOP, the NDGOP has not recognized a duly elected chairman or committee of the District 25 Republicans.”
Howe’s office say the secretary of state encourages political parties and legislators “to examine state law” to ensure there is “a consistent process in filling vacancies and issuing certificates of endorsement.”
According to a written statement about the appointment from GOP members in District 25, Goerger worked for more than fifty years in the farming industry before selling his Goerger Seed Company in 2020 and retiring from the industry in 2024.
Goerger is a lifelong resident of Richland County, graduating from Hankinson High School and attended North Dakota State College of Science.
