Dave Roetman, the executive director of the North Dakota Republican Party, has resigned just a week into his new role after controversial social media posts came to light. The posts, which were demeaning towards women and dismissive of concerns raised by Black people about racism, were publicized by a media outlet. Roetman had previously worked for the South Dakota GOP.
The party announced Roetman’s resignation on Monday, shortly after the Forum News Service reported on his posts and replies on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). The posts, spanning from just over a year ago to this month, included crass comments and derogatory language towards women. Roetman replied “she seems nice” to several posts featuring women in revealing clothing and made unfavorable remarks about a plus-sized woman in a swimsuit. He also engaged in a debate about gender and language, suggesting that men are distancing themselves from women professionally.
In addition to his derogatory comments towards women, Roetman made dismissive remarks about issues raised by Black people. In response to a news story about a Black reporter leaving a music festival after being subjected to a racist slur, he replied with the word “Narcissist?” When a news story mentioned Black Americans moving out of the U.S., Roetman responded with a meme that said, “Well… … bye.”
Roetman stated that recent events had become a distraction for the party and he didn’t want it to continue. He expressed a desire for the party to remain strong and said he would be taking a different path. North Dakota Republican Party Chair Sandi Sanford expressed her disappointment in Roetman’s posts and stated that the search committee had thoroughly reviewed his background before hiring him. She claimed that the controversial posts were “kind of buried.”
Sanford revealed that Roetman resigned after they discussed his posts following the publication of the Forum article. She advised him to take responsibility for his own content and respond to the criticism himself. The executive director role involves managing the party office and staff, handling financial matters, acting as the primary contact between the party and district officials, and communicating with elected officials.
Roetman had taken over as executive director after Samantha Holly resigned in September, citing various obstacles that made it difficult for her to continue in the role.
