Political blog posts like this one and this one have surprised me, partly because North Dakota is apparently surprising the nation.   It seems ND, which has voted mostly republican these past few presidential elections, is now split evenly in the polls between Barack Obama and John McCain.

Perhaps Obama’s visits to the state are paying off.  North Dakota is emerging as an economically strong state, with its well-known agricultural aspects being complimented now by a strong energy production industry.  For a presidential candidate, having an up-and-coming state on your side could swing the votes, especially proportionally because ND has a relatively small population size.

Here are some areas that could make a difference for either candidate in winning a majority of ND’s favor:

• A candidate who is committed to encouraging our state’s energy transmission by supporting new power lines and pipelines could garner support from the booming energy industry.  A policy like this could also gather support from coastal states who want lower fuel prices, more domestic fuel resources and more resources from clean fuels like wind energy.
• Likewise, a candidate dedicated to research and development of biofuels would do well because a viable biofuels option could mix agriculture and energy, two of the state’s strong economic areas. 
• Farmers and people living in rural areas would probably vote for a candidate who would support Disaster Relief funds for purposes like flooding and drought.

I’m sure there are more.  These are the first ones that spring to mind.  I would love to hear about other issues, which candidate is best suited to take those issues on, and why.