People of North Dakota, It gives me great pleasure to write this letter in favor of Kelly Armstrong as our next Governor of the great State of North Dakota. I first met Kelly when he was elected to the ND Senate in 2012. We served together on various committees for several years until he ran successfully as ND’s sole US Congressman. Through those years, I came to understand that Kelly Armstrong is the real deal. 

Many of you know me as part of our Lake Region Search and Rescue Team since its founding in 1981…On dive teams such as ours, there is someone called a “backup diver”. Because scuba diving in mostly adverse conditions can be very hazardous, there is always a “backup diver” suited up and ready to jump in and give aid to the primary diver if necessary. The Backup Diver is always an experienced, capable diver, enabling the primary diver the ability to confidently do their job because they are certain that help will arrive in the form of the backup diver if needed.

It is the same in life – in order to be confident in a given environment, you need a capable “backup diver” when the chips are down. Not everyone qualifies. I would consider Kelly Armstrong one of the few people I would be comfortable with as my backup diver. I mentioned early on in this letter that Kelly is the real deal. We need Kelly Armstrong as our next Governor of North Dakota because he will have our backs and be a great Governor for all of us. 

 Go Kelly! 

That’s all for now,

Dave Oehlke Devils Lake, ND