2022 Congressional Election
In the 2022 general election, Kelly Armstrong ran for and won North Dakota's solo House of Representatives spot. He ran against independent candidate Cara Mund and won by a margin of 24.63%. Armstrong did not have a Democratic challenger because the Democratic nominee, Mark Haugen, dropped out of the race due to pressure from the Democratic party to give Cara Mund - a pro-choice independent candidate - a chance in the race. North Dakota Democrats did not necessarily support Mund in the race, but they knew that a pro-choice Democrat would have very little success in a state like North Dakota.
Reelection Status
Representative Armstrong is not seeking reelection to the House of Representatives in 2024 because he is running for governor of North Dakota. Armstrong is currently up against Republican Lieutenant Governor Tammy Miller, Independent candidate Michael Coachman, and Democratic candidate Travis Hipsher. When announcing his run for governor, Armstrong said that he wanted to spend more time focusing on his home state and creating good policy for North Dakota.
Although it is too early in the race to make primary or general election predictions on North Dakota's gubernatorial election, there are events that have occurred that may affect Armstrong's popularity in the race. For example, current North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has endorsed Lieutenant Governor Tammy Miller's run. Armstrong has said that this endorsement does not surprise him because of Miller's status as Burgum's Lieutenant Governor.
Current Predictions
In the 2016 election and the 2020 election, Representative Armstrong supported former President Trump. His pro-Trump feelings in the 2020 election align with the voting tendencies of his North Dakota constituency who voted for Trump by a margin of 33.6%.
There is little data on Armstrong's gubernatorial campaign's financial status in particular. However, from 2023-2024 while Armstrong has been serving in the House, the top industry that has donated to his campaign is the oil and gas industry with $87,700. The top contributor is Hess Corp at $11,000. As of 12/31/2023, Armstrong's campaign committee had raised $854,572 and spent $749,941. His campaign committee has raised less than the average raised by the campaign committees of other House members.
Having entered the gubernatorial race so recently, Representative Armstrong has not yet made many statements on his intentions or major issues. However, he has stated, "I miss the people who are more interested in solving problems than finding some social media fame." On his congressional website, Armstrong lists the major issues that have been important to him during his time in the House. These important issues include agriculture, Congress, economy, education, energy, healthcare, and veterans. It can be assumed that these issues will continue to be important to Representative Armstrong as he continues with his gubernatorial run. Armstrong has used his time in Congress to fight for policies that will benefit North Dakota and has always been very focused on what is best for his state. Based on his latest votes and sponsored legislation, the announcement of a gubernatorial run has not affected this commitment to policy that benefits North Dakota.
Media Sources
House win photo: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/08/us/elections/results-north-dakota-us-house-district-1.html
Gubernatorial candidates: https://www.kfyrtv.com/2024/02/23/armstrong-reacts-burgums-endorsement-tammy-miller/
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