Congressional candidate Duane Sand plans to let North Dakotans decide which of two TV advertisements he should begin airing statewide.

Two alternatives are posted on his campaign Web site, and those who care have one week to make a selection.

Sand ran a few TV ads earlier this year, but this advertisement will kick off the intense post-Labor Day campaigning. Sand's campaign manager, Matt Lewis, said they have about eight ads in the can, but some of them never may be aired.

In both of the ads, Sand's wife, Holly, is featured prominently and does almost all of the talking. When asked why she was the focus of the ads, Lewis deadpanned, "She's better looking than he is." Touche.

In one of the ads, Holly Sand talks about how her husband had a "risky job" working on nuclear submarines, but took an even bigger risk by choosing to invest in rural North Dakota towns, where he has built apartments and bought businesses. In the other, she talks about why Sand is such a "special guy."

Both of the ads are designed to help North Dakotans get better acquainted with Sand, who does a quirky version of the required "I'm Duane Sand, and I approved this message." Lewis said they did it that way for fun, since most candidates deliver the message in a staid, dull voiceover.

Lewis said they decided to feature Holly Sand prominently in the ads because she received "rave reviews" for her speech during the state Republican convention. You can see the ads at http://www.duanesand.com.

(Reach Deena Winter at 250-8251 or deena.winter@bismarckt-ribune.com.)