Entering Public Service
Armstrong represented District 36 in the North Dakota State Legislature from 2012 to 2019 and believes his skills as a lawyer helped him in his political career . “ I feel I have a lot of fairly unique skills . I don ’ t ‘ spin up ’ or panic . When you do trial law from a defense side , you learn to think on your feet .”
“ I am also comfortable fighting and losing ,” he continues . “ I was willing to pick fights I knew I wasn ’ t going to win . But sometimes that fight is worth it , because down the road it may be won because you brought up the issue in the past and began the fight .”
He says he is proud of the role he played in the criminal justice reform that took place while he served as a state legislator , and the passage of the Surge Bill , a $ 1.1 billion infrastructure bill passed in 2015 to address road and infrastructure needs in the state ’ s oil patch , on which he served as a prime sponsor .
He says he is most proud of writing Senate Bill 2134 in 2017 , codified as N . D . C . C . ch . 61-33.1 , which limited state ownership of the minerals underneath Lake Sakakawea to the ordinary highwater mark as it existed before the completion of the Garrison Dam in 1953 . “ The state stole mineral rights from landowners , and we wrote the bill to give it back ,” Armstrong says .
Fighting for N . D . in D . C .
When Congressman Kevin Cramer announced he would not seek re-election to the U . S . Congress and instead would seek one of North Dakota ’ s U . S . Senate seats in 2018 , Armstrong ’ s path again changed . “ I was state Republican Party chair , and Kevin Cramer decided to run for Senate late in the game ,” he notes . “ I called Rick Berg ( North Dakota Congressman 2011-2013 ), and he was on a beach somewhere . I asked him if he wanted to run and he said , ‘ No , but you should .’”
Forty-eight hours later , Armstrong announced his campaign for U . S . Congress . He was elected as North Dakota ’ s congressman in 2018 and began representing North Dakota in the nation ’ s capital . “ I was the only voice for North Dakota in the U . S . Congress ,” he says . “ I sometimes felt like I was serving as North Dakota ’ s defense attorney when talking about oil and gas and production agriculture . I spent a lot of time talking about what it takes to scratch a living out of the dirt in North Dakota .”
In December , Gov . Armstrong was sworn in by Secretary of State Michael Howe , far left , as the 34th governor . He was surrounded by family and joined by Lt . Gov . Michelle Strinden , far right .
efforts to pass the Federal Prison Oversight Act signed into law this past summer , which established new , independent oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons .
A Run for Governor
When Gov . Doug Burgum announced he would not run for another term in early 2024 , Armstrong felt the pull back to his home state . “ Like a lot of people , we thought Burgum was going to run for a third term . When he didn ’ t , I sat down with my wife and kids and had a long conversation ,” he says . “ We decided all fights are the same , but just in different places .”
Soon after , Armstrong announced his bid for North Dakota governor . “ Our biggest threat isn ’ t blizzard , tornado , or drought – it ’ s federal regulation that makes it hard to make a living in North
Armstrong served on the House Judiciary Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee . He says he brought a unique perspective to his role as a congressman with his experience as a criminal defense attorney , and he is proud of his leadership in the
The Armstrong family , from left to right , Anna , Gov . Armstrong , Kjersti , and Eli .
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