Charles Crane/MDN North Dakota Rep. Kelly Armstrong speaks to members of the Northern Pulse Growers Association about his ongoing efforts to deliver funding for the next Farm Bill at a convention at the Sleep Inn in Minot on Tuesday. Armstrong announced his intention to run for the governor’s office shortly after delivering his remarks.

Congressman Kelly Armstrong has announced his intention to forgo another term in the U.S. House of Representatives to seek the office of North Dakota governor.

This news comes a day after Gov. Doug Burgum announced he would not be seeking a third term as the state’s executive.

The Dickinson native first entered North Dakota politics as a state senator representing District 38. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 2018 and has been reelected twice – in 2020 and 2022 – averaging more than 60% of the vote each time.

“For the past five years as your Congressman, I’ve been fighting for North Dakota in D.C. I have fought against federal overreach, a two-tiered justice system and a radical liberal agenda. I have defended President Trump against two sham impeachments. And I have fought for state’s rights, individual liberty and good old-fashioned common sense,” Armstrong said in his announcement.

Several hours before his announcement, Armstrong spoke before members of the Northern Pulse Growers Association in Minot, where one attendee asked if he planned to run for governor.

“Turn your radio on when you leave the conference,” Armstrong said to some chuckles from the audience. “It’s very good to be home. I will be on the ballot in November. I like the fight we have here. One of the things about D.C. that is really frustrating, is that the incentive structure is so screwed up. When you’re Twitter famous in D.C., it’s a lot like being the host of an outdoor show. You think you’re famous, but you’re only famous to a whole bunch of whitetail hunters who think they know more about whitetail hunting than you. It’s this never ending quest for mediocre celebrity.”

During his remarks, Armstrong mentioned further struggles he encountered in Congress with lawmakers and bureaucrats whom he bemoaned “have never been to rural America in their life.”

“Not all of it is ideological. They went to school on the East Coast and got a job on the East Coast before going to work for one of the alphabet soup agencies. It turns into death by a thousand paper cuts, and it makes it harder,” Armstrong said, “Our biggest threat is people who have never had dirt under their fingernails in their life who make decisions that make it hard to live here.”

Armstrong hailed North Dakota as the best state in the nation to start a business, saluting the efforts of Burgum and the Republican-led Legislature for the strong position the state finds itself in. However, Armstrong stated, rural communities could be better served in regard to access to healthcare, education and skilled workers.

“There’s one thing I’ve learned in that time, the solutions to our biggest challenges are not going to come from Washington. North Dakotans will always do better when we are in charge of our own destiny. That’s why I’ve decided to come home to run for governor,” Armstrong said in his announcement. “I’ll take the experience I’ve gained fighting for North Dakota in D.C., to help increase opportunity and success here in our state. And I am excited to get back here and work with people who are interested in finding solutions, not exploiting problems for political gain.”

Armstrong is the first to officially announce his candidacy. Other hopefuls who could potentially announce in the coming days include Lt. Gov.Tammy Miller and former state Sen. Tom Campbell of Grafton.

Armstrong’s announcement will leave his House seat open. Trygve Hammer of Minot has announced for the Democratic-NPL nomination, and former Bismarck legislator Rick Becker said he intends to seek nomination through the Republican primary, despite previously running for U.S. Senate as an independent in the midterms last year.

The North Dakota Democratic-NPL released a statement reacting to Armstrong’s announcement that stated, “When Kelly Armstrong was elected, many hoped he’d bring North Dakota values to D.C. Instead, Kelly got swallowed up by D.C. and became the ultimate insider. Under Armstrong, House Republicans have become extreme and completely ineffective. We can’t let him bring his D.C. values back home to North Dakota now.”