Kelly Michael Armstrong(born October 8, 1976)[1][2]is an American lawyer and politician serving as theU.S. representativeforNorth Dakota's at-large congressional districtsince 2019. A member of theRepublican Party,he served as theNorth Dakota state senatorfrom the 36th district from 2012 to 2018 and chair of theNorth Dakota Republican Partyfrom 2015 until 2018. On January 23, 2024, he announced he would not seek re-election to the House, and would instead run in the2024 North Dakota gubernatorial election.[3]Armstrong won the Republican primary on June 11, 2024, and defeated Democratic nomineeMerrill Piepkornin 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 theU.S. House of Representatives fromNorth Dakota'sat-largedistrict | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Cramer |
| Chair of theNorth Dakota Republican Party | |
| In office June 6, 2015 – February 20, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Harms |
| Succeeded by | Rick Berg |
| Member of theNorth 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 fromDickinson High Schoolin 1995. He earned aBachelor of Artsinpsychologyfrom theUniversity of North Dakotain 2001 and aJuris Doctorfrom theUniversity of North Dakota School of Lawin 2003, after spending his first year of law school at theCollege of William & Mary.[5]He is a member of theSigma Chifraternity.
Career
editArmstrong was apartnerat Reichert Armstrong, with offices inGrand ForksandDickinson,before his Congressional election. He served as theNorth Dakota State Senatorfrom the 36th district from 2013 to 2018[6]and chaired theNorth Dakota Republican Partyfrom 2015 to 2018.[7]
U.S. House of Representatives
editElections
edit2018
editIn February 2018, Armstrong announced his candidacy for theUnited 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, replacingKevin Cramer,who was elected to theUnited 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 tochallenge the resultsof the2020 presidential electionon January 6, 2021. These seven signed a letter that, while giving credence to election fraud allegations made by PresidentDonald 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 theRespect 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, anantitrustpackage that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[16][17]
On June 14, 2023, Armstrong voted to table the first censure bill againstAdam Schiff,finding the $16 million fine in the first censure to be an excess of congressional power. Former PresidentDonald Trumpcalled 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 following2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[19][20]
During November 2023, Armstrong voted against the censuring of Democratic representativeRashida Tlaibon the grounds ofantisemitismafter her comments againstIsrael.[21]Later in the month, Armstrong was picked to fill the empty seat in theHouse judiciary committeeleft when memberMike Johnsonwas electedSpeaker of the House,which was followed by his re-election announcement.[22][23]
In December 2023, Armstrong joined 105 House Republicans in voting to expelGeorge Santosafter aHouse ethics committeereport 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 forGovernor of North Dakotaafter incumbentDoug Burgumannounced he would not run for a third term.[27][28]
He declared the points he would focus on as lowertaxes,cutting regulations, and bolstering the states workforce.[29]Armstrong would win theNorth Dakota Republican Partyendorsement and chosestate rep.Michelle Strindento be his Lt. Governor.[30]
Armstrong challengedLt. GovernorTammy Millerin the primary for theRepublican 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 usedArtificial Intelligence-generated sources.[33]Armstrong had received endorsements fromSecretary of StateMichael HoweandU.S. SenatorJohn 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 faceDemocratic-NPLcandidateMerrill Piepkornand independent Michael Coachman in thegeneral 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% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| 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% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| 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% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| 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.RetrievedMarch 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.RetrievedJanuary 23,2024.
- ^"North Dakota Governor Primary Election Results".The New York Times.June 11, 2024.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedOctober 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 fromthe originalon June 22, 2018.RetrievedMarch 7,2018.
- ^"Senator Kelly M. Armstrong".Bismarck, North Dakota:North Dakota Legislature.RetrievedMarch 7,2018.
- ^"Sen. Kelly Armstrong of Dickinson elected chair of ND Republican Party".Grand Forks Herald.Forum News Service. June 6, 2015. Archived fromthe originalon June 22, 2018.RetrievedMarch 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 fromthe originalon November 8, 2018.RetrievedApril 10,2018.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^Wasserman, David; Flinn, Ally (November 7, 2018)."2018 House Popular Vote Tracker".Cook Political Report.RetrievedFebruary 15,2019.
- ^"OFFICIAL (WITHOUT RECOUNTS) 2020 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS: Representative in Congress".North Dakota Election Officials.RetrievedNovember 17,2020.
- ^"Unofficial 2022 General Election Results".North Dakota Secretary of State.November 8, 2022.RetrievedNovember 13,2022.
- ^Budryk, Zack (January 3, 2021)."Coalition of 7 conservative House Republicans says they won't challenge election results".The Hill.RetrievedJanuary 3,2021.
- ^Schnell, Mychael (July 19, 2022)."These are the 47 House Republicans who voted for a bill protecting marriage equality".The Hill.RetrievedJuly 25,2022.
- ^"Port: NDGOP rids itself of code of conduct, nearly censures Rep. Kelly Armstrong".InForum.October 16, 2023.RetrievedFebruary 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.RetrievedJanuary 25,2024.
- ^Demir gian, Karoun (October 25, 2023)."House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedOctober 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.RetrievedOctober 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".kfyrtv.
- ^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.RetrievedMarch 28,2021.
- ^"Kelly Armstrong will run for North Dakota governor, giving up state's sole House seat".POLITICO.January 23, 2024.RetrievedFebruary 1,2024.
- ^"Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota's lone congressman, runs for governor".San Diego Union-Tribune.January 23, 2024.RetrievedFebruary 1,2024.
- ^"Kelly Armstrong highlights campaign themes at Fargo kickoff event".InForum.January 26, 2024.RetrievedFebruary 1,2024.
- ^"Endorsed for governor by North Dakota GOP, Kelly Armstrong taps Fargo's Michelle Strinden as running mate".InForum.April 6, 2024.RetrievedNovember 14,2024.
- ^"Port: Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller announces campaign for governor".InForum.February 15, 2024.RetrievedApril 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.RetrievedApril 4,2024.
- ^"Port: Armstrong rips 'Tall Tale' Tammy Miller; her campaign says that's 'a whole lot of B.S.'".InForum.March 20, 2024.RetrievedApril 4,2024.
- ^Gick, Justin (April 2, 2024)."Hoeven endorses Armstrong for governor".RetrievedApril 4,2024.
- ^"Burgum suggests Armstrong isn't the right choice for governor; Armstrong responds".March 11, 2024.RetrievedApril 4,2024.
- ^Haney, Don."Piepkorn makes campaign for governor official".The Mighty 790 KFGO | KFGO.RetrievedApril 4,2024.
- ^"North Dakota Governor Election 2024 Live Results: Kelly Armstrong Wins".nbcnews.November 14, 2024.RetrievedNovember 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.RetrievedApril 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.RetrievedJanuary 26,2024.
- ^"2024 Republican Governor primary election Results".Associated Press News.RetrievedJuly 2,2024.
External links
edit
- Congressman Kelly Armstrongofficial U.S. House website
- Kelly Armstrong for Congressofficial campaign site
- Biographyat theBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office)at theFederal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsoredat theLibrary of Congress
- ProfileatVote Smart
- Profileat theNorth Dakota Legislature
- AppearancesonC-SPAN