Kelly Armstrong

Kelly Michael Armstrong (born October 8, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 34th governor of North Dakota since 2024. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2019 to 2024 as the U.S. representative for North Dakota's at-large congressional district. He also served from 2012 to 2018 as the North Dakota state senator from the 36th district and from 2015 to 2018 as chair of the North Dakota Republican Party. On January 23, 2024, he announced he would not seek reelection to the House and would instead run in the 2024 North Dakota gubernatorial election. Armstrong won the Republican primary on June 11, 2024, and defeated Democratic nominee Merrill Piepkorn in the general election.

Early life and education

Armstrong graduated from Dickinson High School in 1995. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology 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 fraternity.

Career

Before his election to Congress, Armstrong was a partner at Reichert Armstrong, with offices in Grand Forks and Dickinson. He was vice president of Armstrong Corp.

Armstrong served from 2013 to 2018 as the North Dakota state senator from the 36th district 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. 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, who was elected to the United States Senate.

2020

Armstrong was reelected with 68.96% of the vote.

2022

Armstrong was reelected with 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, 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, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law. Armstrong was nearly censured in a 26–28 vote during a state party meeting for his vote. In September 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. On June 14, 2023, Armstrong voted to table the first censure bill against Adam Schiff, finding the $16 million fine excessive. Former president Donald Trump called for all 20 Republicans who voted against the bill to be "primaried". Armstrong supported the second attempt a week later when the fine was removed.

Armstrong voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. In November 2023, he voted against censuring Representative Rashida Tlaib on the grounds of antisemitism after her criticism of Israel. Later that month, he was picked to fill the vacancy on the House Judiciary Committee left by Mike Johnson's election as Speaker of the House. In December 2023, Armstrong joined 105 House Republicans in voting to expel George Santos after a House ethics committee concluded that he had broken federal law. On December 14, 2024, Armstrong submitted his letter of resignation from Congress effective at midnight that night in order to take office as governor of North Dakota the next day. He added: "It's been an honor. Time to go home."

Committee assignments

*Committee on Energy and Commerce (Vice Chair)
** Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security
** Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce
** Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
* Committee on the Judiciary
** Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
** Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship
** Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law
* Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government

Caucus memberships

* Republican Governance Group
*Friends of Norway Caucus (co-chair)
*Fire Services Caucus
*Bipartisan Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Task Force
*Air Force Caucus
*Coal Caucus
*Rural Broadband Caucus
*Northern Border Caucus
*Northern Border Security Caucus
*National Guard and Reserve Caucus
*Caucus on Youth Sports
*Sportsmen's Caucus
* Republican Study Committee

Governor of North Dakota

2024 gubernatorial election

On January 23, 2024, Armstrong announced he would not run for reelection, instead opting to run for governor of North Dakota after incumbent Doug Burgum announced he would not run for a third term. He said he would focus on lower taxes, cutting regulations, and bolstering the state's workforce.

Armstrong faced Lieutenant Governor Tammy Miller in the primary for the North Dakota Republican Party endorsement. Armstrong and Miller had an aggressive primary battle, with Armstrong the first to release attack ads. He was later criticized for releasing an ad calling Miller "Tall-Tale Tammy" in which he used Artificial Intelligence-generated sources. Armstrong was endorsed by Secretary of State Michael Howe and U.S. senator John Hoeven. Burgum endorsed Miller, saying North Dakota did not need a lawyer in the office. Armstrong won the primary and chose state representative Michelle Strinden as his running mate.

Armstrong defeated Democratic-NPL candidate Merrill Piepkorn and independent Michael Coachman in the general election with 68.3% of the vote. Piepkorn received 26% and Coachman 5.6%.

Tenure

In accordance with the North Dakota Constitution, Armstrong and Strinden took office as governor and lieutenant governor on December 15, 2024. One of Armstrong's first actions as governor was to fill the vacant seat on the North Dakota Public Service Commission left by his congressional successor, Julie Fedorchak. Armstrong chose commission staffer Jill Kringstad to fill the seat.

Before the beginning of the legislative session, Armstrong proposed a plan to eliminate property taxes in the state, which was first addressed publicly by the failed measure 4 ballot in 2024. The plan involved using money from the Legacy Fund to cover the cost of primary residence property taxes, more tax credits for seniors and people with disabilities, and a 3% cap on increases to any property tax. Armstrong testified before the house finance and taxation committee in support of his plan, put into legislation by Representative Mike Nathe. On February 18, 2025, Armstrong signed into law the primary residence portion of the plan introduced by Senator Mark Weber. On May 3, Armstrong signed the rest of his plan into law.

Armstrong received backlash for ordering flags to be flown at full staff on inauguration day after President Joe Biden ordered all flags at half staff in observance of Jimmy Carter's death. Armstrong said the flag will return to half staff after the inauguration. Later, Armstrong defended the Department of Government Efficiency's federal funding freezes and firings. He said the media was stoking fear and that he had not heard "a ton" of concerns from North Dakotans.

On April 7, 2025, Armstrong and South Dakota governor Larry Rhoden held a meeting with the leadership of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation over concerns about federal funding and economic development. At the meeting, Armstrong told the tribe that when it comes to their issues, "When disruption happens, we need to know." Later in the month, Armstrong vetoed two controversial bills, one that would have forced public libraries to ban explicit content and one that would have created special "educational savings accounts" for private school students. Of the former, Armstrong said, "I don't pretend to know what the next literary masterpiece is going to be, but I know that I want it available in a library." On June 14, Armstrong was censured by the NDGOP over the veto.

Political positions

Abortion

Armstrong supports a ban on abortion. During a debate against Cara Mund in 2022, Armstrong said he supported the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'' that overturned the right to abortion set forth in ''Roe v. Wade'' (1973). He also said he does not support a federal abortion ban.

Election integrity

Armstrong was one 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, said Congress did not have the authority to influence the election's outcome.

Armstrong was generally critical of a ballot measure that would require all ballots to be counted by hand and on paper, saying, "I don't think you can get it done. And, it turns out, it's less accurate."

Gun rights

Armstrong said he does not support most gun control legislation, and that he would not support a ban on binary triggers like those used in the 2023 shooting of Fargo police officers.

Armstrong is an avid hunter.

Healthcare

On April 20, 2025, Armstrong signed a bill into state law capping the price of insulin at $25 per month.

LGBT rights

In 2022, Armstrong was one of 47 Republicans who went against the party and voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified the right to same-sex marriage into federal law.

During a debate with Merrill Piepkorn in 2024, Armstrong said there is a difference between gender identity and biology and that he does not support transgender students playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. But, he added, "Dress however you want. Be who you want to be. This country is a fantastic, weird place, and I think it is great."

In 2025, Armstrong signed into law a bill that reinforces North Dakota's ban on gender-neutral bathrooms in K-12 schools and requires schools to inform parents if they learn a child is identifying as transgender.

Taxes

Besides his property tax reform plan, Armstrong publicly opposed Measure 4 in 2024, which would have eliminated state and local governments' power to levy property tax. One PAC associated with Armstrong funneled thousands of dollars into anti-measure 4 efforts.

In March 2025, Armstrong vetoed a bill that would have established a prison industries workforce development tax credit, saying, "Any tax policy that creates this type of carve-out must be tied to a significant outcome that benefits the state's economic interests. This bill does not do that."

Personal life

Armstrong met his wife Kjersti, a Norwegian citizen, while the two were at University of North Dakota. They married in 2004 and have two children. Kjersti became a dual U.S. citizen in 2021.

Armstrong has played, coached, and expressed his love of baseball. His inaugural gala was themed around the sport.

Electoral history

References

External links

Congressman Kelly Armstrong
official U.S. House website
Kelly Armstrong for Congress
official campaign site
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Profile
at the North Dakota Legislature
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Kelly Michael
1976 births
21st-century American lawyers
21st-century members of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly
21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives
21st-century North Dakota politicians
Living people
North Dakota lawyers
People from Dickinson, North Dakota
Republican Party governors of North Dakota
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Dakota
Republican Party North Dakota state senators
State political party chairs of North Dakota
University of North Dakota alumni