On this episode of Plain Talk, we hosted a debate between the Democratic-NPL's candidates for U.S. House.

Trygve Hammer is a Marine Corps veteran with three previous campaigns under his belt. Vern Thompson is a farmer and truck driver who recorded this debate from the cab of his semi. They each made their case for why they should replace the incumbent, Rep. Julie Fedorchak.

(The third candidate in the race, Helene Neville, was scheduled to participate but had to drop out at the last minute due to illness.)

Thompson told us he's running to protect farmers. "Trump's tariffs have caused the largest farm crisis in 40 years," he said. "That was a self-inflicted wound. And that's one of the reasons I got into this race is because of the tariffs."

"Tariffs are a tax on consumers," Hammer told us, "and it is a regressive tax." He said he'd like to focus on restoring the balance of power between Congress and the executive branch. "Congress will have to take the reigns and be a check on the Trump administration."

Why should Democratic voters choose one candidate over the other?

Thompson answered that question by touting his experience. He's the former mayor of Minnewauken, and a former state lawmaker who worked with Republican Gov. Ed Schafer on flooding in the Devils Lake area.

For his part, Hammer pointed out his more recent track record of campaigning for office, and working over multiple election cycles to help rebuild enthusiasm for the Democratic-NPL which hasn't had a lot of electoral success over the last decade.

The candidates also fielded questions on abortion, Israel's actions in Gaza, the national debt, our nation's hostilities with Iran, and passenger rail service.

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