Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota’s lone congressman, runs for governor

BY JACK DURA

Updated 3:51 PM CDT, January 23, 2024

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota’s sole U.S. House member announced his candidacy on Tuesday for governor of the sparsely populated state, the day after Gov. Doug Burgum said he won’t seek a third term.

Republican Rep. Kelly Armstrong is the first to formally announce a campaign in what is expected to be a competitive race among Republicans for the party’s nomination. The state GOP will endorse a ticket in April, but candidates can run in the June primary, when voters will decide who advances to the November general election. Republicans have held the governor’s office since 1992.

Armstrong, an attorney and former state GOP chairman, was first elected to the House in 2018 after serving six years in the state Senate.

The short answer is I want to get home and start working — I miss people. I miss my friends. I miss my neighbors. I miss being in North Dakota, I really do,” Armstrong said in an interview. “Serving the state in Congress has been an absolute, the greatest privilege of my life, but I really want to come home. I miss my friends in the Legislature. I miss the people who are more interested in solving problems than finding some mediocre social media fame.

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