ND-At Large: Kelly Armstrong (R)
About Kelly:
After graduating from Dickinson High School in 1995, Kelly attended the University of North Dakota and obtained a bachelor’s degree in 2001. He then attended UND law school, graduating in 2003. Kelly returned home to Dickinson during his college summers to coach the Dickinson Roughriders American Legion baseball team. While his teams found success on the field, Kelly is most proud of the successes his players achieved off the field. A passionate mentor, he still keeps in touch with many of his former players and enjoys watching them grow into successful adults.
In 2011, Kelly joined his family’s energy business, where he currently serves as vice president. The Armstrong Corporation was founded in 1975. This small family business has expanded over time to include not only oil and gas exploration, but also agricultural operations and investments in local businesses and striving entrepreneurs. The Armstrong family’s commitment to their community was officially recognized with the Roughrider Award (not the big one, Kelly doesn’t have a painting of himself in the Capitol) in 2013 for their initiative to employ and provide opportunities for veterans returning from deployment overseas.
Interested in public service at an early age, Kelly successfully ran for the North Dakota State Senate in District 36 in 2012. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the Chairman of the Justice Reinvestment Committee and a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Kelly has sponsored and fought for legislation that has had an enormous impact on North Dakota. In his first session, Kelly spearheaded DUI reform legislation, increasing penalties on DUI offenders while also ensuring more tools are available for addiction treatment. His second session he was the prime sponsor of the surge bill, bringing $2 billion dollars of essential infrastructure funding to counties across the entire state. Most recently, Kelly introduced a bill to solve the lakebed mineral crisis, a complicated and historical issue involving mineral ownership under Lake Sakakawea. Kelly’s passion for personal property rights helped ensure private mineral ownership would remain with the ranchers, farmers, and families they belong, not taken by the state.
His involvement in the legislature allowed Kelly to see the need for leadership in the North Dakota Republican Party, and he successfully ran for Chairman of the NDGOP in 2015. In the year following, Kelly led the party through a historic election where President Trump won North Dakota by a 36 point margin, Governor Burgum won in a landslide victory and the North Dakota legislature increased their super majority by 17 legislative seats.
Washington needs our North Dakota values now more than ever, and no one embodies them more than Kelly. The real changes in Washington are just beginning, and Kelly has the commitment, energy and drive to keep pushing those positive changes forward.
North Dakota’s agricultural and energy industries provide the country and the world with food, oil, gas and electricity. Together we can protect the livelihood of our farmers and ranchers, unleash the full energy potential for North Dakota and ensure North Dakota has a strong voice, a tireless worker and a proven leader representing us in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The biographical information above was sourced from the campaign website; see link above for more information.