Kelly Michael Armstrong born October 8, [ 1 ] [ 2 ] is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 34th governor of North Dakota since A member of the Republican Party, he served from to as the U. He also served from to as the North Dakota state senator from the 36th district and from to as chair of the North Dakota Republican Party. On January 23, , he announced he would not seek reelection to the House and would instead run in the North Dakota gubernatorial election.
Armstrong graduated from Dickinson High School in He served from to as the North Dakota state senator from the 36th district [ 6 ] and chaired the North Dakota Republican Party from to Armstrong was reelected with Armstrong was one of a coalition of seven Republicans who did not support their colleagues' efforts to challenge the results of the presidential election on January 6, 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, , 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. 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 Hamas attack on Israel.
He added: "It's been an honor. Time to go home. On January 23, , 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.
Armstrong and Miller had an aggressive primary battle, with Armstrong the first to release attack ads. In accordance with the North Dakota Constitution , Armstrong and Strinden took office as governor and lieutenant governor on December 15, 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.
