Kelly Armstrong (Republican Party) is the Governor of North Dakota. He assumed office on December 15, 2024. His current term ends on December 15, 2028.
Armstrong (Republican Party) ran for election for Governor of North Dakota. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Armstrong also ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent North Dakota's At-Large Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on June 11, 2024.
Armstrong was born in Dickinson, North Dakota, in 1976. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of North Dakota in 2001 and earned his juris doctorate there in 2003.
After finishing school, Armstrong worked in private practice as an attorney, first in Grand Forks, then in Dickinson In 2011, Armstrong joined his family's energy company Armstrong Corporation, where he served as vice president until 2018. In 2012 Armstrong was elected to the state Senate for District 36, defeating Rich Brauhn (D).
During his tenure, Armstrong sponsored a bill, later signed into law by Gov. Jack Dalrymple (R), that enforced tougher penalties for armed felons. He also sponsored legislation that enacted harsher penalties for felons convicted of driving under the influence, including a longer probation period.
Read moreIn 2017, he became chair of the Senate's Judiciary Committee. In 2015, Armstrong was elected chair of the North Dakota Republican Party, a position he held until 2018.
In 2018, Armstrong was elected to represent North Dakota's At-Large Congressional District. Grand Forks Herald's April Baumgarten wrote Armstrong "said he doesn't try to push himself to the middle of the political spectrum, adding he is proud to be a conservative...Agreeing that he is a 'Trump Republican,' Armstrong said the U.S. has never had a White House administration more interested in the state." During his tenure in Congress, he introduced a bill that would prohibit the regulation of gas stoves by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Armstrong was one of 47 Republicans to vote for the Respect for Marriage Act of 2022. Armstrong ran for Governor of North Dakota in 2024.
He said during the campaign he wanted to "lower property taxes, shrink government, and push back on an overbearing federal government." In the Republican primary, Armstrong faced Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller.
Donald Trump (R) endorsed Armstrong, while Gov. Doug Burgum (R) endorsed Miller. Armstrong defeated Miller 73% to 27%.
In the general election, Armstrong defeated Merrill Piepkorn (D) 68% to 26%. Armstrong resigned from Congress on December 14, 2024, to be sworn in.
Armstrong was sworn in as governor on December 15, 2024. After being sworn in, Armstrong said in an interview, "Each governor has new challenges.
I’m the first governor not running on jobs. We have jobs.
What we need is workforce and affordable housing." In 2025, Armstrong proposed a plan using the revenue from the state's oil tax to replace the state's property tax. His 2025 budget proposal included funding to build more housing, reduce prison overcrowding and provide property tax relief.
Kelly Armstrong earned his B.S. in psychology from the University of North Dakota and his J.D. from the University of North Dakota School of Law. His professional experience includes working as an attorney and partner at Reichert Armstrong Law. He served as chair of the North Dakota Republican Party from 2015 to 2018, resigning from the position before running for U.S. House.
