Kelly Armstrong | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| 34thGovernor of North Dakota | |
| Assumed office December 15, 2024 | |
| Lieutenant | Michelle Strinden |
| Preceded by | Doug Burgum |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNorth Dakota'sat-large district | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – December 14, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Kevin Cramer |
| Succeeded by | Julie Fedorchak |
| Chair of theNorth Dakota Republican Party | |
| In office June 6, 2015 – February 20, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Harms |
| Succeeded by | Jim Poolman (acting) |
| 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 (1976-10-08)October 8, 1976 (age 48) Dickinson, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of North Dakota (BA,JD) |
Kelly Michael Armstrong (born October 8, 1976)[1][2] is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 34thgovernor of North Dakota since 2024. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2019 to 2024 as theU.S. representative forNorth Dakota's at-large congressional district. He also served from 2012 to 2018 as theNorth Dakota state senator from the 36th district and from 2015 to 2018 as chair of theNorth Dakota Republican Party. On January 23, 2024, he announced he would not seek reelection 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 Piepkorn in the general election.[4]
Armstrong graduated fromDickinson High School in 1995. He earned aBachelor of Arts inpsychology from theUniversity of North Dakota in 2001 and aJuris Doctor from theUniversity of North Dakota School of Law in 2003, after spending his first year of law school at theCollege of William & Mary.[5] He is a member of theSigma Chi fraternity.
Before his election to Congress, Armstrong was apartner at Reichert Armstrong, with offices inGrand Forks andDickinson. He was vice president of Armstrong Corp.[6]
He served from 2013 to 2018 as theNorth Dakota state senator from the 36th district[7] and chaired theNorth Dakota Republican Party from 2015 to 2018.[8]
In February 2018, Armstrong announced his candidacy for theUnited States House of Representatives.[9] He was endorsed by the North Dakota Republican Party at its state party convention in April 2018.[10] Armstrong won the November 6 election with 60.2% of the vote.[11] 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.
Armstrong was reelected with 68.96% of the vote.[12]
Armstrong was reelected with 62.2% of the vote.[13]
Armstrong was one of a coalition of seven Republicans who did not support their colleagues' efforts tochallenge the results of the2020 presidential election on 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.[14]
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.[15] Armstrong was nearly censured in a 26–28 vote during a state party meeting for his vote.[16] In September 2022, Armstrong was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, anantitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[17][18] On June 14, 2023, Armstrong voted to table the first censure bill againstAdam Schiff, finding the $16 million fine excessive. Former presidentDonald Trump called for all 20 Republicans who voted against the bill to be "primaried". Armstrong supported the second attempt a week later when the fine was removed.[19]
Armstrong voted to provide Israel with support following the2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[20][21] In November 2023, he voted against censuring RepresentativeRashida Tlaib on the grounds ofantisemitism after her criticism ofIsrael.[22] Later that month, he was picked to fill the vacancy on theHouse Judiciary Committee left byMike Johnson's election asSpeaker of the House.[23][24] In December 2023, Armstrong joined 105 House Republicans in voting to expelGeorge Santos after aHouse ethics committee concluded that he had broken federal law.[25] On December 14, 2024, Armstrong submitted his letter of resignation from Congress effective at midnight that night in order to take office as governor of North Dakota the next day. He added: "It's been an honor. Time to go home."[26]
On January 23, 2024, Armstrong announced he would not run for reelection, instead opting to run forgovernor of North Dakota after incumbentDoug Burgum announced he would not run for a third term.[29][30] He said he would focus on lowertaxes, cutting regulations, and bolstering the state's workforce.[31]
Armstrong facedLieutenant GovernorTammy Miller in the primary for theNorth Dakota Republican Party endorsement. Armstrong and Miller had an aggressive primary battle, with Armstrong the first to release attack ads.[32] He was later criticized for releasing an ad calling Miller "Tall-Tale Tammy" in which he usedArtificial Intelligence-generated sources.[33] Armstrong was endorsed bySecretary of StateMichael Howe andU.S. senatorJohn Hoeven.[34] Burgum endorsed Miller, saying North Dakota did not need a lawyer in the office.[35] Armstrong won the primary and chosestate representativeMichelle Strinden as his running mate.[36]
Armstrong defeatedDemocratic-NPL candidateMerrill Piepkorn and independent Michael Coachman in thegeneral election[37] with 68.3% of the vote. Piepkorn received 26% and Coachman 5.6%.[38]
In accordance with theNorth Dakota Constitution, Armstrong and Strinden took office as governor and lieutenant governor on December 15, 2024. One of Armstrong's first actions as governor was to fill the vacant seat on theNorth Dakota Public Service Commission left by his congressional successor,Julie Fedorchak. Armstrong chose commission stafferJill Kringstad to fill the seat.[39][40][41]
Before the beginning of the legislative session, Armstrong proposed a plan to eliminateproperty taxes in the state, which was first addressed publicly by the failedmeasure 4 ballot in 2024.[42] The plan involved using money from theLegacy Fund to cover the cost ofprimary residence property taxes, more tax credits for seniors and people with disabilities, and a 3% cap on increases to any property tax.[43][44][45][46][47][48] Armstrong testified before thehouse finance and taxation committee in support of his plan, put into legislation by representativeMike Nathe.[49] On February 18, 2025, Armstrong signed the primary residence portion of the plan into law. Introduced by senatorMark Weber.[50][51]
Armstrong received backlash for ordering flags to be flown atfull staff oninauguration day after PresidentJoe Biden ordered all flags athalf staff in observance ofJimmy Carter's death.[52][53] Armstrong said the flag will return to half staff after the inauguration.[54]
In 2025, Armstrong defended the federal funding freezes and firings thatElon Musk'sDepartment of Government Efficiency were enacting. Armstrong said the media was stoking fears and that he had not heard "a ton" of concerns from North Dakota residents.[55]
Armstring supports a ban on abortion.[6] During a debate againstCara Mund in2022, Armstrong said he supported the U.S. Supreme Court decision inDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022) that overturned the right to abortion set forth inRoe v. Wade (1973). He also said he does not support a federal abortion ban.[56]
Armstrong was one of seven Republicans who did not support their colleagues' efforts tochallenge the results of the2020 presidential election on 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.[57]
Armstrong was generally critical of a ballot measure that would require all ballots to be counted by hand and on paper, saying, "I don't think you can get it done. And, it turns out, it's less accurate."[58]
Armstrong said he does not support most gun control legislation, and that he would not support a ban onbinary triggers like those used in the2023 shooting of Fargo police officers.[59]
Armstrong is an avid hunter.[60]
In 2022, Armstrong was one of 47 republicans who went against the party and voted for theRespect for Marriage Act, which codified the right tosame-sex marriage into federal law.[61][62]
During a debate withMerrill Piepkorn in 2024, Armstrong said there is a difference between gender identity and biology and that he does not supporttransgender students playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. But, he added, "Dress however you want. Be who you want to be. This country is a fantastic, weird place, and I think it is great."[63]
Besides his property tax reform plan, Armstrong publicly opposedMeasure 4 in 2024, which would have completely eliminated state and local governments' power to levy property tax.[64] OnePAC associated with Armstrong funneled thousands of dollars into anti-measure 4 efforts.[65]
Armstrong met his wife Kjersti, aNorwegian citizen, while the two were atUniversity of North Dakota.[66][67] They married in 2004 and have two children. Kjersti became a dual U.S. citizen in 2021.[67]
Armstrong has played, coached, and expressed his love ofbaseball.[68] His inaugural gala was themed around the sport.[69]
| 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 | 247,056 | 68.26% | +2.42% | |
| Democratic–NPL | Merrill Piepkorn Patrick Hart | 94,043 | 25.98% | +0.60% | |
| Independent | Michael Coachman Lydia Gessele | 20,322 | 5.61% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 530 | 0.15% | -4.75% | ||
| Total votes | 361,951 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| North Dakota Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member from the 36th district 2012–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Robert Harms | Chair of theNorth Dakota Republican Party 2015–2018 | Succeeded by Jim Poolman Acting |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of North Dakota 2024 | Most recent |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member fromNorth Dakota's at-large congressional district 2019–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Doug Burgum | Governor of North Dakota 2024–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byasVice President | Order of precedence of the United States Within North Dakota | Succeeded by Mayor of city in which event is held |
| Succeeded by OtherwiseMike Johnson asSpeaker of the House | ||
| Preceded byasGovernor of Colorado | Order of precedence of the United States Outside North Dakota | Succeeded byasGovernor of South Dakota |
| Governors |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant governors | ||
| One seat at-large (1889–1903) |   | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two seats at-large (1903–1913) |
| ||||||
| Three districts (1913–1933) |
| ||||||
| Two seats at-large (1933–1963) |
| ||||||
| Two districts (1963–1973) |
| ||||||
| One seat at-large (1973–present) | |||||||
