Dem
51
GOP
49
Every action results in an equal and opposite reaction? Apparently so. On Monday, Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) said he would not stand for reelection. On Tuesday morning, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said he wasn't interested in the job. On Tuesday afternoon, Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), who is the state's only member of the House, said he was very much interested, and that he would run to replace Burgum, as opposed to running for reelection to the House. Better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a giant pond, it would seem.
We are hardly experts in North Dakota politics, but a sitting officeholder who has already won statewide three times by virtue of being the only representative is surely the hands-on favorite to win the governor's mansion. That would change if Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) jumped in, but there's no indication he's interested, and one has to imagine that Armstrong took a stroll over to the other side of the Capitol just to make sure. The only other Republican in the race right now is Tom Campbell, who was a state senator nearly a decade ago. Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller (R-ND) is a possibility, but she's already missed her chance to strike while the iron was really hot.
Meanwhile, North Dakota is R+20 and last elected a freshman Democrat to the House in 1992. So the seat will remain in Republican hands. It will probably take a week or so before we know exactly which hands are in the running, however, as there are no declared candidates yet. (Z)