Kelly Michael Armstrong (born October 8, 1976)
is an American lawyer and politician serving as the
U.S. representative for
North Dakota's at-large congressional district since 2019. A member of the
Republican Party, he served as the
North Dakota state senator from the 36th district from 2012 to 2018 and chair of the
North Dakota Republican Party from 2015 until 2018.
Early life and education
Armstrong graduated from
Dickinson High School in 1995. He earned a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
in
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...
from the
University of North Dakota in 2001 and a
Juris Doctor from the
University of North Dakota School of Law in 2003, after spending his first year of law school at the
College of William & Mary. He is a member of the
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more t ...
fraternity.
Career
Armstrong was a partner at Reichert Armstrong, with offices in Grand Forks and Dickinson, before his Congressional election. He served as the
North Dakota State Senator from the 36th district from 2013 to 2018
and chaired the
North Dakota Republican Party from 2015 to 2018.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2018
In February 2018, Armstrong announced his candidacy for the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
. He was endorsed by the North Dakota Republican Party at its state party convention in April 2018. Armstrong won the November 6 election with 60.2% of the vote.
He resigned his seat in the North Dakota Legislature on November 7 and took office in Congress in January 2019, replacing
Kevin Cramer
Kevin John Cramer (born January 21, 1961) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator for North Dakota since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he represented North Dakota's at-large congressional distri ...
, who was elected to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
.
2020
Armstrong ran for reelection and won on November 3, with 68.96% of the vote.
2022
Armstrong won reelection on November 8, receiving 62.2% of the vote.
Tenure
Armstrong was one of a coalition of seven Republicans who did not support their colleagues' efforts to
challenge the results of the
2020 presidential election on January 6, 2021. These seven signed a letter that, while giving credence to election fraud allegations made by President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
, said Congress did not have the authority to influence the election's outcome.
On July 19, 2022, Armstrong and 46 other Republican representatives voted for the
Respect for Marriage Act
The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA; ) is a landmark United States federal law passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requires the U.S. federal gover ...
, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.
In 2022, Armstrong was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.
Committee assignments
*
Committee on the Judiciary Committee on the Judiciary may mean:
* United States House Committee on the Judiciary
* United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standi ...
**
Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
**
Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship
**
Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law
*
Committee on Oversight and Reform
**
Subcommittee on Environment
*
Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
*
Select Committee on the January 6 Attack
Caucus memberships
*
Republican Governance Group
*Friends of Norway Caucus (co-chair)
*Fire Services Caucus
*Air Force Caucus
*Coal Caucus
*Rural Broadband Caucus
*Northern Border Caucus
*National Guard and Reserve Caucus
*Caucus on Youth Sports
*Sportsmen's Caucus
*
Republican Study Committee
The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a study group of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. As of 2021, the Chairman of the RSC is Representative Jim Banks of Indiana.
Although the prima ...
Electoral history
References
External links
Congressman Kelly Armstrongofficial U.S. House website
Kelly Armstrong for Congressofficial campaign site
*
*
Profileat the
North Dakota Legislature
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Kelly Michael
1976 births
Living people
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Dakota
North Dakota state senators
State political party chairs of North Dakota
21st-century American politicians
North Dakota lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
University of North Dakota alumni
People from Dickinson, North Dakota