Kevin Cramer | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| United States Senator fromNorth Dakota | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 Serving with John Hoeven | |
| Preceded by | Heidi Heitkamp |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNorth Dakota'sat-large district | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Rick Berg |
| Succeeded by | Kelly Armstrong |
| Member of theNorth Dakota Public Service Commission | |
| In office August 1, 2003 – December 31, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Leo Reinbold |
| Succeeded by | Julie Fedorchak |
| Chair of theNorth Dakota Republican Party | |
| In office July 1991 – May 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Layton Freborg |
| Succeeded by | John Korsmo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kevin John Cramer (1961-01-21)January 21, 1961 (age 64) Rolla, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Concordia College (BA) University of Mary (MA) |
| Website | Senate website Campaign website |
Kevin Cramer Outlines the REGROW Act in Opening Remarks at ENR Committee Hearing Recorded June 16, 2021 | |
Kevin John Cramer[1] (born January 21, 1961) is an American politician who has served as thejuniorUnited States senator forNorth Dakota since 2019. A member of theRepublican Party, he representedNorth Dakota's at-large congressional district in theUnited States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019.
Cramer chaired theNorth Dakota Republican Party from 1991 to 1993 and served as state Tourism Director from 1993 to 1997 and state Economic Development Director from 1997 to 2000. He served on thestate Public Service Commission from 2003 to 2012. In2012, he won election to the U.S. House of Representatives. In2018, he defeated SenatorHeidi Heitkamp to win his first Senate term, becoming the first Republican to be elected to North Dakota'sClass I Senate seat since1958. In2024, he was reelected againstDemocratic nominee Katrina Christiansen.[2]
Cramer was born inRolla, North Dakota, on January 21, 1961, the first of five children of Clarice (Hjelden) and Richard Cramer.[3][4] He was raised inKindred, North Dakota, inCass County, and graduated from Kindred High School. He received a B.A. degree fromConcordia College inMoorhead, Minnesota, in 1983. He earned a master's degree in management from theUniversity of Mary inBismarck, North Dakota, in 2003.[5]
After college, Cramer campaigned for the Republican-endorsed tax commissioner candidate Scott Hove in 1984.[6] In 1986, he campaigned for U.S. SenatorMark Andrews in his bid for reelection. Andrews narrowly lost toNorth Dakota Democratic-Nonpartisan League PartyU.S. SenatorKent Conrad. Cramer went to work for the state Republican Party.[7]
Cramer served as chairman of theNorth Dakota Republican Party from 1991 to 1993. At age 30, he was the youngest person to be named state party chairman.[6]
In May 1993, RepublicanGovernorEd Schafer appointed Cramer state Tourism Director. Cramer was preceded by Jim Fuglie[8] and succeeded by Bob Martinson.[9] He served in the position until he was appointed Economic Development Director in June 1997. Cramer was preceded by Chuck Stroup[10] and succeeded by Lee Peterson in December 2000 as the director.[11][12]
Following his stint as director of economic development, Cramer became director of the Harold Schafer Leadership Foundation in 2000. He served in the position until 2003.[12]
In 2003, GovernorJohn Hoeven appointed Cramer to thePublic Service Commission.[13] He was elected to a six-year term on the Public Service Commission in 2004, defeating NPL nominee Ron Gumeringer, 65–35%.[14]
In 2010, Cramer was reelected to a second term on the Public Service Commission, defeating Democratic nominee Brad Crabtree 61–35%.[15] He served on the commission until 2012.[16]
In 1996, House Majority LeaderDick Armey of Texas—a North Dakota native—persuaded Cramer to challenge Democratic U.S. CongressmanEarl Pomeroy forNorth Dakota's at-large congressional seat. Pomeroy defeated him, 55%–43%.[17]
In 1998, Cramer challenged Pomeroy again. Pomeroy won, 56%–41%.[18]
On January 14, Cramer announced that he would run for North Dakota's seat in theUnited States House of Representatives for a third time in the2010 election.[19] In early 2010, he appeared at North Dakota town hall meetings, where he opposed theAffordable Care Act.[20] Cramer attended numerousTea Party rallies in North Dakota, speaking about energy, taxes, jobs and the U.S. Constitution.[21][better source needed] At the state Republican Party convention in March 2010, former House Majority LeaderRick Berg won the Republican congressional nomination; Berg was elected to Congress in November.[22]
In 2012, Berg retired in order to run for the U.S. Senate. Cramer decided to run for the seat a fourth time.
Various national conservative groups, includeFreedomWorks and theClub for Growth, endorsed Cramer, while Berg endorsed Cramer's rival, fellowPublic Service CommissionerBrian Kalk.[23] In the Republicanprimary election in June 2012, Cramer received 54,405 votes (54%) to Kalk's 45,415 (45%).[24]
In the November 2012 general election Cramer defeatedDemocratic-NPLState RepresentativePam Gulleson, with 173,585 votes (55%) to Gulleson's 131,870 (42%).Libertarian Party candidate Eric Olson received about 3% of the vote.[25] He was sworn in on January 3, 2013.[26]
In 2014 Cramer ran for reelection and was unopposed in the Republican primary.[27] He won the general election with 55% of the vote, defeating Democratic-NPL nomineeGeorge B. Sinner, who received 38%. Libertarian candidate Jack Seaman received slightly under 6%.[28]
In 2016 Cramer ran for a third term in Congress. He was unopposed in the primary[29] and defeated Democratic-NPL nomineeChase Iron Eyes, a Native American activist, in the general election with 69% of the vote.[30][31]
.jpg)
Crameropposes abortion. He is a critic ofPlanned Parenthood and has called for cutting off public funding of the group.[32][33] In 2013 Cramer condemned the Supreme Court decisionRoe v. Wade and tied an uptick in mass shootings to thelegalization of abortion and a decline in religious values.[34] This remark was criticized by the director of the North Dakota Democratic Party and inCosmopolitan. Cramer said, "I was asked recently by a reporter if I am afraid that some people would attack me if I speak like this. And I said, 'No, I am not afraid they will, I am quite certain they will.'"[35][36] In the same speech, Cramer said of U.S. society: "We have normalized perversion and perverted God's natural law."[34]
Cramer has been closely allied withDonald Trump since Trump announced his candidacy for president in 2015, and was "one of a handful of early Trump endorsers" among U.S. House Republicans.[37]
Cramer supported Trump's 2017executive order banning entry to the U.S. by citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, saying, "I think what Donald Trump is doing is he's pulling America's head out of the sand and facing the reality that we have not been kept very safe by current immigration and refugee policies."[38] He has been described as one of Trump's allies in Congress and pledged to be with Trump "100 percent of the time".[39]
In February 2017, during Trump's first address to a joint session of Congress, House Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi and a number of other female Democratic members of Congress wore white, a color honoring suffragettes. Cramer mocked them, saying Pelosi dressed "poorly" and remarking, "It is a syndrome. There is no question, there is a disease associated with the notion that a bunch of women would wear bad-looking white pantsuits in solidarity withHillary Clinton to celebrate her loss. You cannot get that weird."[40]
In June 2020, Cramer blocked bipartisan legislation to sanction China over its actions to undermine Hong Kong's independence—legislation he had co-sponsored—because theTrump administration requested that he do so.[41]
On May 28, 2021, Cramer voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the2021 United States Capitol attack.[42]
Cramer rejects thescientific consensus on climate change.[43][44] He has said that he would support a smallcarbon tax if the revenue went toresearch and development on clean fuel.[43][44][45]Reuters has described Cramer as "one of America's most ardent drilling advocates."[46] He supports an increase in oil and gas drilling onpublic lands and cutting taxes for energy producers, and opposes what he characterizes as overreach by theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency.[47] In May 2016 Trump asked Cramer to draft his campaign's energy policy.[46] Cramer wrote Trump's energy plan, which heavily promotedfossil fuels, weakened environmental regulation, and vowed to withdraw the U.S. from theParis Agreement and repeal U.S. regulations of carbon emissions.[48] In June 2023, Cramer was the lead Republican sponsor of thePROVE IT Act, which would direct theUnited States Department of Energy to collect data on thegreenhouse gas intensity of certain goods made in the United States and other countries, data that could enable trade policy addressing international disparities in environmental standards. He was joined by lead Democratic sponsorChris Coons.[49][50]
Cramer supports cuts inSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program), and attracted controversy in 2013 when he cited a biblical quotation several times in support of Republicans' efforts to cut $40 billion from the program over ten years.[51][52]
Cramer said thatgun control would not have prevented theOrlando nightclub shooting.[53] In 2016 he criticized proposed gun control legislation, saying, "The problem isn't the U.S. Constitution. The problem is Islamic terrorism."[54]
Cramer opposes theAffordable Care Act ("Obamacare") and voted to repeal it without a replacement five times.[55][56][57] He has voted against health insurance protections for patients withpreexisting conditions and against the expansion ofMedicaid.[57] Cramer has said that theAmerican Health Care Act of 2017, the Republican bill he supported to repeal and replace Obamacare, would have prevented "price discrimination" against people with preexisting conditions;The Washington Post fact-checker called this assertion false.[58]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Cramer introduced legislation to ban vaccine and mask mandates.[59] He opposed adding unruly passengers to the "no-fly" list, saying that unruly passengers who refuse to comply with mask requirements are not the same as terrorists.[60]
Cramer opposessame-sex marriage and condemned theSupreme Court's decision inObergefell v. Hodges.[61][62][63][64]
In 2018, Cramer called bothAnita Hill's sexual harassment allegation againstClarence Thomas andChristine Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegation againstBrett Kavanaugh "absurd". He called Ford's allegation "even more absurd" than Hill's because the sexual assault that Ford described "never went anywhere" and because both Kavanaugh and Ford were intoxicated teenagers.[65] Cramer questioned whether Ford's allegation would disqualify Kavanaugh from the Supreme Court even if true, but said that if Kavanaugh were found to have lied in denying the allegation, that would be disqualifying.[66]
Cramer has voted to repeal theestate tax, which imposes a tax after the first several million dollars on a dead person's estate.[67] He supportsTrump's 25% tax on many types of imports, which may have decreased sales for North Dakota's soybean industry in 2018, but has said he believes the long-term benefits of a trade war are worth it.[68][69]
In 2013, at a forum on theViolence Against Women Act (VAWA), Cramer engaged in "a testy exchange with Native American victim assistance leaders."[70][71] He later issued a statement apologizing for his "tone and rhetoric" during the exchange.[70] Cramer voted to reauthorize VAWA,[72] but opposed language in the act that would allowtribal courts to prosecute non-Natives "for abusing or assaulting Native American women on Indian land."[73] Cramer asked, "How could a non-Native man get a fair trial on a reservation?"[73] and questioned the provision's constitutionality. He voted for an amendment to repeal it.[72]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
.jpg)
On January 11, 2018, after months of speculation, Cramer announced[78] that he would not seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to run againstDemocratic-NPL incumbentHeidi Heitkamp and would instead run for reelection to the U.S. House.[79] On February 15, he announced that he had changed his mind and would run for the Senate.[80] Odney advertising firm president Pat Finken served as Cramer's campaign manager.[81] On April 7,[82] Cramer won theNorth Dakota Republican Party's endorsement. Three days later, his campaign announced it had raised $1.35 million in the first quarter of 2018, most of it in late February and March.[83]
In June 2018,The Washington Post reported that Cramer had contacted theWhite House to seek political help in his Senate campaign and was upset that Trump had not publicly criticized Heitkamp in the same way that he had criticized other Democrats.[84] Cramer later publicly criticized White House staff and argued that Trump was refraining because Heitkamp was a woman.[84] Trump scheduled a trip to North Dakota that month to campaign for Cramer, a trip thatPolitico reported "could go a long way toward extinguishing tensions between the White House and the Senate hopeful."[85]
During his 2018 campaign, Cramer sought and received the support of thePublic Advocate of the United States, an anti-LGBT group that advocatesconversion therapy and ties homosexuality topedophilia.[64] In an eight-question survey for the group, Cramer said he would oppose "'Transgender Bathrooms' legislation and regulations—which have the effect of encouraging and protecting pedophiles".[64] He also agreed with the organization that "public schools should be 'prevented from brainwashing elementary school children with the Homosexual Agenda.'"[64] Cramer supported requiring schools to teach that there are only twogenders and granting Christian businesses the right to not service same-sex weddings.[64] A spokesman for him said: "Let's be clear. Congressman Cramer doesn't support the teaching of history with any special emphasis on any particular group. History is history and should be taught as such. Additionally, Kevin does not thinktransgender people are at all comparable to pedophiles—this a gross misinterpretation of the survey question."[64]
Cramer won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate on June 12, 2018.[86] The next month, a spokesperson for the political network organized by theKoch brothers announced that they would not financially support Cramer's campaign because the brothers viewed him as insufficiently supportive offree trade andfiscal conservatism, and because they felt he held other views inconsistent with theirs.[87]
In the November 6 general election, Cramer defeated Heitkamp[88] with 55% of the vote to Heitkamp's 44%.[89]
In 2024, Cramer was reelected over Democratic nominee Katrina Christiansen with 66% of the vote to Christiansen's 33%.[90]
In July 2019, Cramer said he favored lawsuits seeking to overturn Obamacare.[91] The same year, he held up the confirmation of a White House budget official in order to get theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release sensitive documents aboutborder wall construction.[92] Cramer had pushed the Army Corps to use a North Dakota firm run by his 2018 campaign donor Tommy Fisher. Fisher donated $10,000 to Cramer's campaign and was also Cramer's guest at the2018 State of the Union Address, where he shook Trump's hand.[93][94] In December 2019,Fisher Industries and the Fisher Sand and Gravel subsidiary, run by a Trump donor, were awarded the $400 million contract.[95] Fisher Sand & Gravel had been previously fined $1.16 million for violating tax laws,[96] and racked up 1,300 air-quality violations and over $625,000 in fines.[97]
In October 2019, Cramer defended Trump's decision to host theG7 conference at theTrump National Doral Miami, a resort Trump owns. Cramer said, "I don’t have any concerns about it other than just politically how it appears", and praised Trump for the "tremendous integrity in his boldness and his transparency" in deciding to select his own property for the summit.[98] Lack of support from Trump's Republican allies who were weary of defending him led Trump to quickly abandon his plans, as customary congressional support withered.[99][100]
In December 2019, at Trump's request, Cramer cast the only vote against a Senate motionto recognize theArmenian genocide, passage of which required unanimous consent. Trump opposed the motion because of his relationship with Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan.[101][102] SenatorLindsey Graham had voted against such a motion previously, but refused to do so afterTrump withdrew of a contingent of U.S. troops, allowing the Turks to attack the US'sKurdish allies who had rolled back theIslamic State in Syria's forces.[103]
On March 24, 2020, Cramer tweeted thatHouse SpeakerNancy Pelosi was “retarded.” He later deleted the tweet and apologized, saying he had intended to write “ridiculous”,[104][105] blaming autocorrect and his "fat fingers".[106][107]
AfterJoe Biden won the2020 presidential election and Trump refused to concede and madenumerous baseless claims of fraud, Cramer at first defended Trump[108] but later said "the election was not stolen" and that he had "moved on a long time ago".[109][110] In May 2022, Cramer expressed support for former Secretary of StateMike Pompeo's potential candidacy in the2024 Republican presidential primary.[111] In June 2023, Cramer endorsed North DakotaGovernorDoug Burgum for president.[112] After Burgum dropped out of the race on December 4, Cramer endorsed Trump.[113]
In 2025, Cramer defended Trump's andDOGE's proposed government cuts, including to theVeterans Administration.[114]
Committee assignments
For the119th United States Congress, Cramer was named to four Senate committees.[115] They are:
Cramer married Kris Neumann in 1986 and adopted her two sons, Isaac and Ian, from a previous marriage.[116][117] As of 2024, the Cramers have five children and six grandchildren.[118] Their son Isaac died in 2018 due to complications of alcoholism. They had earlier adopted the young son of an ex-girlfriend of Isaac's, who had been killed by her abusive husband.[119]
Cramer co-chairs theRoughriderHonor Flight program. This program givesWorld War II veterans the chance to visit theWorld War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.[120]
In June 2022, Cramer suffered a serious injury to his right hand while doing yard work. The injury required immediate surgery and he remained in North Dakota due to a high risk of infection and the possible need for finger amputation.[121]
On December 6, 2023, Kris Cramer drove her son, Ian Cramer, to anemergency department in Bismarck, as he was experiencing a mental health crisis after usingmethamphetamines andbath salts earlier that day.[122][123] When they arrived, Ian stole his mother's car and was pursued by police until he collided with a police vehicle, killingMercer County deputy Paul Martin.[122][124] On December 14, 2023, prosecutors announced that they would charge Ian Cramer with multiple crimes, including homicide.[125] After the event, Senator Cramer said that Ian "suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations".[126] In December 2024, Ian Cramer pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 28 years in prison.[124]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cramer | 54,405 | 54.4 | |
| Republican | Brian Kalk | 45,415 | 45.5 | |
| Write-in | 113 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 99,933 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cramer | 173,585 | 54.89% | +0.15% | |
| Democratic–NPL | Pam Gulleson | 131,870 | 41.70% | −3.23% | |
| Libertarian | Eric Olson | 10,261 | 3.24% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 508 | 0.16% | -0.17% | ||
| Total votes | 316,224 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cramer (incumbent) | 50,188 | 99.70 | |
| Write-in | 151 | 00.30 | ||
| Total votes | 50,339 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cramer (incumbent) | 138,100 | 55.54% | +0.67% | |
| Democratic–NPL | George B. Sinner | 95,678 | 38.48% | −3.24% | |
| Libertarian | Jack Seaman | 14,531 | 5.84% | +2.59% | |
| Write-in | 361 | 0.15% | -0.01% | ||
| Total votes | 248,670 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cramer (incumbent) | 96,357 | 99.1 | |
| Write-in | 919 | 0.9 | ||
| Total votes | 97,276 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cramer (incumbent) | 233,980 | 69.13% | +13.59% | |
| Democratic–NPL | Chase Iron Eyes | 80,377 | 23.75% | −14.73% | |
| Libertarian | Jack Seaman | 23,528 | 6.95% | +1.11% | |
| Write-in | 574 | 0.17% | +0.02% | ||
| Total votes | 338,459 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cramer | 61,529 | 87.8% | |
| Republican | Thomas O'Neill | 8,509 | 12.2% | |
| Write-in | 95 | 0.14% | ||
| Total votes | 70,133 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cramer | 179,720 | 55.11% | +5.79% | |
| Democratic–NPL | Heidi Heitkamp (incumbent) | 144,376 | 44.27% | −5.97% | |
| Write-in | 2,042 | 0.63% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 326,138 | 100% | N/A | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic–NPL | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cramer (incumbent) | 241,569 | 66.31% | +11.20% | |
| Democratic–NPL | Katrina Christiansen | 121,602 | 33.38% | −10.89% | |
| Write-in | 1,156 | 0.32% | -0.31% | ||
| Total votes | 364,327 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)The agreement requires FSG to pay a total of $1.16 million in restitution, penalties and fines, implement measures to prevent future fraud at the company and cooperate with the IRS in audits of its tax returns.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chair of theNorth Dakota Republican Party 1991–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromNorth Dakota (Class 1) 2018,2024 | Most recent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Jim Fuglie | Tourism Director of North Dakota 1993–1997 | Succeeded by Bob Martinson |
| Preceded by Chuck Stroup | Economic Development Director of North Dakota 1997–2000 | Succeeded by Lee Peterson |
| Preceded by | Member of theNorth Dakota Public Service Commission 2003–2012 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNorth Dakota's at-large congressional district 2013–2019 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from North Dakota 2019–present Served alongside:John Hoeven | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas United States Senator fromNevada | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator fromNorth Dakota since January 3, 2019 | Succeeded byas United States Senator fromFlorida |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 66th | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| ||
| ||
| 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) | |||||||
| People | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
