Kelly Michael Armstrong (born October 8, 1976)[1][2] is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for North Dakota's at-large congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the North Dakota state senator from the 36th district from 2012 to 2018 and chair of the North Dakota Republican Party from 2015 until 2018. On January 23, 2024, he announced he would not seek re-election to the House, and would instead run in the 2024 North Dakota gubernatorial election.[3] Armstrong won the Republican primary on June 11, 2024, and defeated Democratic nominee Merrill Piepkorn in the general election.[4]
Kelly Armstrong | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| Governor-elect of North Dakota | |
| Assuming office December 15, 2024 | |
| Lieutenant | Michelle Strinden (elect) |
| Succeeding | Doug Burgum |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's at-large district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Cramer |
| Chair of the North Dakota Republican Party | |
| In office June 6, 2015 – February 20, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Harms |
| Succeeded by | Rick Berg |
| Member of the North Dakota Senate from the 36th district | |
| In office December 1, 2012 – November 8, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | George Nodland |
| Succeeded by | Jay Elkin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kelly Michael Armstrong October 8, 1976 Dickinson, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Kjersti Høiby (m. 2004) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of North Dakota (BA, JD) |
| Website | House website |
Early life and education
editArmstrong graduated from Dickinson High School in 1995. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of North Dakota in 2001 and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 2003, after spending his first year of law school at the College of William & Mary.[5] He is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Career
editArmstrong was a partner at Reichert Armstrong, with offices in Grand Forks and Dickinson, before his Congressional election. He served as the North Dakota State Senator from the 36th district from 2013 to 2018[6] and chaired the North Dakota Republican Party from 2015 to 2018.[7]
U.S. House of Representatives
editElections
edit2018
editIn February 2018, Armstrong announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives.[8] He was endorsed by the North Dakota Republican Party at its state party convention in April 2018.[9] Armstrong won the November 6 election with 60.2% of the vote.[10] He resigned his seat in the North Dakota Legislature on November 7 and took office in Congress in January 2019, replacing Kevin Cramer, who was elected to the United States Senate.
2020
editArmstrong ran for reelection and won on November 3, with 68.96% of the vote.[11]
2022
editArmstrong won reelection on November 8, receiving 62.2% of the vote.[12]
Tenure
editArmstrong was one of a coalition of seven Republicans who did not support their colleagues' efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election on January 6, 2021. These seven signed a letter that, while giving credence to election fraud allegations made by President Donald Trump, said Congress did not have the authority to influence the election's outcome.[13]
On July 19, 2022, Armstrong and 46 other Republican representatives voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.[14] Armstrong was nearly censured in a 26–28 vote during a state party meeting for his vote.[15]
In September 2022, Armstrong was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[16][17]
On June 14, 2023, Armstrong voted to table the first censure bill against Adam Schiff, finding the $16 million fine in the first censure to be an excess of congressional power. Former President Donald Trump called for all twenty Republicans who voted against to be "primaried". He would support the second attempt a week later when the text was removed.[18]
Armstrong voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[19][20]
During November 2023, Armstrong voted against the censuring of Democratic representative Rashida Tlaib on the grounds of antisemitism after her comments against Israel.[21] Later in the month, Armstrong was picked to fill the empty seat in the House judiciary committee left when member Mike Johnson was elected Speaker of the House, which was followed by his re-election announcement.[22][23]
In December 2023, Armstrong joined 105 House Republicans in voting to expel George Santos after a House ethics committee report conclusion that he had broken federal law.[24]
Committee assignments
edit- Committee on Energy and Commerce (Vice Chair)
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government
Caucus memberships
edit- Republican Governance Group[25]
- Friends of Norway Caucus (co-chair)
- Fire Services Caucus
- Bipartisan Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Task Force
- Air Force Caucus
- Coal Caucus
- Rural Broadband Caucus
- Northern Border Caucus
- Northern Border Security Caucus
- National Guard and Reserve Caucus
- Caucus on Youth Sports
- Sportsmen's Caucus
- Republican Study Committee[26]
Governor of North Dakota
edit2024 gubernatorial election
editOn January 23, 2024, Armstrong announced he would not run for re-election, instead opting to run for Governor of North Dakota after incumbent Doug Burgum announced he would not run for a third term.[27][28]
He declared the points he would focus on as lower taxes, cutting regulations, and bolstering the states workforce.[29] Armstrong would win the North Dakota Republican Party endorsement and chose state rep. Michelle Strinden to be his Lt. Governor.[30]
Armstrong challenged Lt. Governor Tammy Miller in the primary for the Republican Party's nomination for Governor.[31] He would defeat Miller in the primary by a margin of 73.2% to 26.2%.
Armstrong and Miller held an aggressive primary battle, with Armstrong being the first to release attack ads.[32] Armstrong would later receive criticism for releasing an ad calling Miller “Tall-Tale Tammy” in which he used Artificial Intelligence-generated sources.[33] Armstrong had received endorsements from Secretary of State Michael Howe and U.S. Senator John Hoeven.[34] Miller, however, received Governor Burgum’s support, stating North Dakota did not need a lawyer in the office.[35]
Armstrong would go on to face Democratic-NPL candidate Merrill Piepkorn and independent Michael Coachman in the general election.[36] Armstrong would win the election with 68.3% of the vote. Piepkorn would receive 26% and Coachman 5.6%.[37]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kelly Armstrong | 37,054 | 56.23 | |
| Republican | Tom Campbell (withdrawn) | 17,692 | 26.85 | |
| Republican | Tiffany Abentroth | 5,877 | 8.92 | |
| Republican | Paul Schaffner | 5,203 | 7.90 | |
| Republican | Write-Ins | 75 | 0.11 | |
| Total votes | 65,901 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kelly Armstrong | 193,568 | 60.20% | −8.93% | |
| Democratic–NPL | Mac Schneider | 114,377 | 35.57% | +11.82% | |
| Independent | Charles Tuttle | 13,066 | 4.06% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 521 | 0.16% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 321,532 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kelly Armstrong (incumbent) | 245,229 | 68.96% | +8.76% | |
| Democratic–NPL | Zach Raknerud | 97,970 | 27.55% | −8.02% | |
| Libertarian | Steven Peterson | 12,024 | 3.38% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 375 | 0.11% | -0.05% | ||
| Total votes | 355,598 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kelly Armstrong (incumbent) | 148,399 | 62.20% | –6.76 | |
| Independent | Cara Mund | 89,644 | 37.57% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 543 | 0.23% | +0.12 | ||
| Total votes | 238,586 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kelly Armstrong Michelle Strinden |
67,704 | 73.2% | |
| Republican | Tammy Miller Josh Teigen |
24,784 | 26.8% | |
| Total votes | 92,488 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kelly Armstrong Michelle Strinden |
||||
| Democratic–NPL | Merrill Piepkorn Patrick Hart |
||||
| Independent | Michael Coachman Lydia Gessele |
||||
| Total votes | |||||
References
edit- ^ "Kelly Armstrong's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ "North Dakota New Members 2019". The Hill. November 15, 2018.
- ^ Nazzaro, Miranda (January 23, 2024). "North Dakota lawmaker running for governor". The Hill. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "North Dakota Governor Primary Election Results". The New York Times. June 11, 2024. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
- ^ Grandstrand, Katherine (December 20, 2012). "District 36 representation: All Kelly Armstrong wanted was to get away, but Dickinson is home". The Dickinson Press. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ "Senator Kelly M. Armstrong". Bismarck, North Dakota: North Dakota Legislature. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ "Sen. Kelly Armstrong of Dickinson elected chair of ND Republican Party". Grand Forks Herald. Forum News Service. June 6, 2015. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ Dura, Jack (February 22, 2018). "Armstrong joins packed House race". The Clarion-Ledger.
- ^ Inc., Midwest Communications. "Armstrong wins GOP House endorsement". The Mighty 790 KFGO. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Wasserman, David; Flinn, Ally (November 7, 2018). "2018 House Popular Vote Tracker". Cook Political Report. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ "OFFICIAL (WITHOUT RECOUNTS) 2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Representative in Congress". North Dakota Election Officials. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ "Unofficial 2022 General Election Results". North Dakota Secretary of State. November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
- ^ Budryk, Zack (January 3, 2021). "Coalition of 7 conservative House Republicans says they won't challenge election results". The Hill. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- ^ Schnell, Mychael (July 19, 2022). "These are the 47 House Republicans who voted for a bill protecting marriage equality". The Hill. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ "Port: NDGOP rids itself of code of conduct, nearly censures Rep. Kelly Armstrong". InForum. October 16, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "House passes antitrust bill that hikes M&A fees as larger efforts targeting tech have stalled". CNBC. September 29, 2022.
- ^ "H.R. 3843: Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022 -- House Vote #460 -- Sep 29, 2022".
- ^ Baumgarten, April (June 20, 2023). "Trump calls for North Dakota's Kelly Armstrong to 'immediately be primaried'". Inforum. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ Demirjian, Karoun (October 25, 2023). "House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (October 25, 2023). "Roll Call 528 Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Gick, Justin (November 5, 2023). "Rep. Kelly Armstrong one of 23 Republicans voting not to censure Rep. Tlaib on Israel comments". www.kfyrtv.com.
- ^ Janke, Ryan. "Armstrong to fill seat vacated by new U.S. Speaker of the House, announces re-election".
- ^ "Rep. Kelly Armstrong Recommended To Take Speaker Johnson's Judiciary Seat". November 14, 2023.
- ^ Sweeney, Pat. "Armstrong votes for, Fischbach votes against ousting Santos".
- ^ "Homepage of Republican Governance Group". Republican Governance Group. December 14, 2019.
- ^ "Membership". Republican Study Committee. December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ "Kelly Armstrong will run for North Dakota governor, giving up state's sole House seat". POLITICO. January 23, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota's lone congressman, runs for governor". San Diego Union-Tribune. January 23, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Kelly Armstrong highlights campaign themes at Fargo kickoff event". InForum. January 26, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ "Endorsed for governor by North Dakota GOP, Kelly Armstrong taps Fargo's Michelle Strinden as running mate". InForum. April 6, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ^ "Port: Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller announces campaign for governor". InForum. February 15, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "Port: Here's a preview of the mud that's about to be slung in North Dakota's gubernatorial primary". InForum. March 18, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "Port: Armstrong rips 'Tall Tale' Tammy Miller; her campaign says that's 'a whole lot of B.S.'". InForum. March 20, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ Gick, Justin (April 2, 2024). "Hoeven endorses Armstrong for governor". Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "Burgum suggests Armstrong isn't the right choice for governor; Armstrong responds". March 11, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ Haney, Don. "Piepkorn makes campaign for governor official". The Mighty 790 KFGO | KFGO. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "North Dakota Governor Election 2024 Live Results: Kelly Armstrong Wins". www.nbcnews.com. November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Cheryl L. (February 28, 2019). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 2018". Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "Statewide Election Results". North Dakota Secretary of State. November 12, 2020.
- ^ "Official 2022 General Election Results". North Dakota Secretary of State. November 8, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Republican Governor primary election Results". Associated Press News. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
External links
edit
- Congressman Kelly Armstrong official U.S. House website
- Kelly Armstrong for Congress official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Profile at the North Dakota Legislature
- Appearances on C-SPAN