I bumped into Senator Byron Dorgan, D-ND, at the airport last week.  Literally.

I was there to report for the Minot Daily News on a meeting he had called between Northwest Airline officials and half a dozen towns in North Dakota.  The purpose, he said at a press conference before the meeting, was to get a feel for what was going on with the airline (why all the canceled and delayed flights, mostly), what they were doing to remedy the problems, and what North Dakota could expect from the airline in the next few months.

The press conference ended.  I turned and started walking briskly toward the stairs, hoping to get a good spot for the meeting.  Sen. Dorgan was walking the same way at the same time.  We ran into each other just a few steps into our journey.  

I think he was as surprised as I was. 

“Hello, Gwen,” he said, looking at my name tag and shaking my hand.

I’m not sure what I said in return.  My head was full of thoughts.  Including these:

 He’s a real person!  And he’s polite. 

I wonder why he decided to have the meeting at Bismarck Airport?  

This man helps get money for North Dakota!

That last thought bounced around in my head during the meeting.  I remembered that he, along with Sen. Conrad D-ND, had helped SEO Precision in Crosby, North Dakota get a government contract (more about this terrific company in another blog).

I couldn’t help watching Sen. Dorgan’s face during the meeting.  If I had to describe his expression, I would say it was full of thoughtful concern.  No panic, no attacks on anyone—just a matter-of-fact, let’s-get-down-to-business attitude.

I’ve thought about it quite a bit this week.  I have to admit, I’m not a very politically-minded person, and I don’t know enough about his policies and platform to say whether they’re good or bad.

What I do know was that I was impressed.  I’ll be watching this guy.