In a state where Democrats have trouble fielding candidates in some legislative districts, a race exists on the party’s primary ticket for U.S. House.

Trygve Hammer of Minot is the North Dakota Democratic-NPL endorsed candidate for Congress. He is being challenged by Roland Riemers of Grand Forks, who has made previous ballot appearances and has worn labels as a Republican, Libertarian and Democrat. He last ran as a Democrat for U.S. House in 2020, losing in the primary to Zach Raknerud of Minot.

A Velva native, Hammer graduated from the Naval Academy with a degree in chemistry and served as a CH-53D helicopter pilot, a forward air controller and an infantry officer, deploying to Iraq in 2003 as a weapons platoon commander. Outside of the Marine Corps, he has worked as a regional airline pilot, a defense contractor and a security consultant. After 25 years of military service, he returned to North Dakota. He taught grades junior high and high school science at a rural school and worked as a roughneck on oil rigs in the Bakken and as a freight rail conductor across the state.

Riemers is a residential real estate investor and manager. He spent four years in active duty and eight years in reserves in the military. Among his work experiences, he has been a firefighter, engineering technician, serviceman, nurse, teacher, construction worker, salesman and paralegal. He holds an associate degree in nursing, a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology and attended law school for a year. He is also a private pilot and EMT.

Hammer and Riemers responded to questions related to their campaigns for the U.S. House.

What sets you apart from your primary opponent?

Riemers: While me and my opponent have many things in common in regards to issues, the big difference is his first loyalty likely would be to the party and its platform, while my first loyalty would be to the people of North Dakota regardless of party or beliefs. As I am running as a Democrat, I would, of course, be morally obligated to caucus with the Democrats, but I would remain independent on the issues and not just follow any party or ideological line. I would also work across party lines to get our very dysfunctional Congress doing some good. My Libertarian background is that I am an advocate for smaller government and more freedom.

Hammer: I’ve done the work to build not just a strong campaign for the U.S. House but also enthusiasm here in Minot, with our districts and the Souris Valley Dem-NPL, and across the state. I’ve gone out to all the district conventions and other events around the state, and people have seen that. They know who I am and that I’m prepared to represent them. The second thing that separates me really from everybody is my long history of service and leadership around the world and recent experience here in North Dakota as a classroom teacher, a rig hand on the oil rigs in the Bakken and freight rail conductor. I’m the only candidate with a boots-on-the-ground perspective of work life here in North Dakota.

How would you as North Dakota’s lone Congress member get things done?

Hammer: I would do it in the same way I’ve accomplished things everywhere, and I think it really starts with building relationships. I’ve had to do that throughout my working life. You go into the Navy and Marine Corps and you work with a vast array of people across services, across races, religions, nationalities, regions here in the United States. I’ve lived all around the country and around the world, and I would bring that experience to Congress. I would accomplish a mission the same as I’ve done everywhere else, and that’s by building those relationships.

Riemers: There are independent thinkers in both parties who are willing to work to get things done, such as actually passing a budget and controlling spending or to actually come up with a workable immigration policy. I would work with these other independent thinkers and chart a course that is best for America and the citizens of North Dakota.

What would be your approach to military spending?

Riemers: I am a veteran with 12 years of military service. While I believe in a strong defense in today’s troubled world, I also believe we need to control military expenditures. For one thing, I would like to see a slight increase in the retirement age. Maybe the minimum retirement years could increase from 20 to 25 years and the maximum increase from 30 to 40 years, and maybe with no retirement benefits until they turn 65? I would also like to see the VA become more limited in who they serve. The VA should focus on those members with actual service-connected disabilities instead of just anyone who puts a short time into a service and was never in harm’s way. I also would prefer a president who has served in the military and thus has a better understanding of the military, instead of the two leading wackos we currently have running for president who couldn’t lead a Boy Scout troop.

Hammer: We need to keep taking care of our veterans. That needs to be fully funded. I worked for a defense contractor, writing manpower and training plans for Marine Corps acquisitions. Every day I had to bill my hours to one contract or another, even though sometimes we were waiting on something or we just hadn’t been given a clear direction. I really felt like we were wasting defense dollars. Those defense contracts are a place where I would look for ways to get leaner. We need to maintain our nuclear deterrent triad. We need our nuclear submarines, our nuclear missiles like we have here in North Dakota and our nuclear air defense. When I was in Iraq with my Marines, I always talked about being brilliant in the basics. That’s what we need for the military overall. We need to be brilliant in the basics. We need a strong reserve component, and we need acquisitions that are based solely on the needs of the services, not on what can be built in any Congressman’s district.

What is your top issue related to Congress?

Hammer: One hard one to get through the House of Representatives would be a law prohibiting gerrymandering for partisan advantage. I would like to see that be illegal at every level of government. If you’re in one of those gerrymandered districts you feel disenfranchised. That seems to be something that people across the board don’t like. Along with that, you could also beef up security around elections and do other things to satisfy those who’ve lost faith in the system. Beyond that, we need to shore up Social Security and Medicare, get comprehensive immigration reform. What I hear as I go around the state talking to people is we need to address our affordable housing, affordable health care and child care. There are things that can be done at the federal level to fund all those.

Riemers: The biggest issue with Congress is it appears totally dysfunctional. I would work to get a reasonable budget and immigration law passed. I would also work hard at solving our long-term energy needs by promoting geothermal electric, which is totally renewable, non-polluting, available 24/7 and would decrease global warming. We also need to be more concerned with global pollution before we are all buried up to our necks in plastic trash. I would like to see the end of civil forfeiture laws. I would defend our gun rights. I would defend women’s reproductive rights. I would promote a decrease in the size of government. And I would work against meaningless feel-good laws that really accomplish nothing and often take away some of our rights and freedoms.

Roland Reimers