North Dakota governor plans to use $1M war chest to support candidates he trusts

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong appears to be following in the footsteps of former Gov. Doug Burgum by supporting Republican candidates he said he trusts in this year's primaries.

It remains to be seen if he will see more success than Burgum did.

Armstrong does not face reelection for three years, but in 2025 he still raised more than $800,000, according to a disclosure filed with the Secretary of State's Office. The former U.S. congressman told the Tribune he has more than $1 million on hand and said this year is the first since 2012 he has not been on the ballot.

However, he said he will still be participating in this year's elections, using his stockpiled cash to help Republicans get elected in both the primary and general elections.

"I will support my colleagues in any race they exist in. Whether it's Michael Howe, Drew Wrigley, Julie Fedorchak or legislative incumbents that are being challenged, I fully anticipate helping support people that I have grown to know and trust," Armstrong said.

He did not specify how he intends to support certain candidates or which other candidates he plans to support.

Burgum also chose to wade into primary elections during his time in office. He gave more than $1.2 million of his own money to the Dakota Leadership PAC, which in turn targeted fellow Republicans he had clashed with for defeat in 2022. Some lawmakers said the governor's actions were borderline unconstitutional and asked Burgum to stop making the donations.

He did not stop and received mixed results. Only some of the candidates he targeted for defeat lost at the ballot box. Notably, longtime Appropriations Committee Chair Jeff Delzer, R-Underwood, lost his primary race after being targeted by the Dakota Leadership PAC.

Armstrong seeking new candidates

Armstrong said he is seeing "real excitement" around new candidates who have announced campaigns for the Legislature this year.

He used Bismarck's District 7 as an example. Armstrong attended a campaign kickoff event in support of incumbent Sen. Michelle Axtman and new candidates Steve Sauter and Greg Vetter, both campaigning for the state House.

Axtman's slate of moderate candidates is running against a full slate of populist candidates which includes Rick Becker, the founder of the now largely defunct ultraconservative Bastiat Caucus. Becker previously represented the district in the state House of Representatives from 2013-21.

The state Republican Party has seen a growing divide between populist and mainstream members. The populist arm of the party even censured Armstrong last year for vetoing a book ban bill and championing a property tax relief and reform bill during the 2025 legislative session that populists didn't think went far enough.

Armstrong said he saw a good mix of attendees at the District 7 kickoff event — half were longtime Republican supporters who "fold tables and put chairs away" at every event and are needed to have a successful campaign or career in politics. The other half had never been to a political event before, he said.

"It was really, really exciting to see it," Armstrong said. "You've got two new candidates and ... they filled an event space with people who it was their first political event. And as a former state party chair and current governor, that's cool to see."

Armstrong said he plans to help recruit candidates for open legislative positions across the state, especially as term limits take effect later in his term and more incumbents become ineligible to run.

He said he understands there are many reasons people may not want to get involved in politics right now, referencing the charged rhetoric that is common in today's political climate. But he said he will work "very hard" to ensure a broad representation of Republicans across the state.

"Being a Republican in Fargo isn't necessarily the same as being a Republican in rural western North Dakota. You have to represent your district and your constituency," Armstrong said.

He said North Dakota has thrived under strong Republican conservative leadership. 

"It would be a dereliction of my duty if I didn't try and recruit more people to keep that banner going," Armstrong said. "It would be harder with term limits, but not everything about term limits will be bad. New blood is great. District 7 was a perfect example of that."

Candidates over ballot measures

Armstrong said he would likely not put much of his campaign funds toward influencing the outcome of ballot measures in November's general election, at least not until after the June primaries.

"I've worked really hard to raise a lot of money," Armstrong said. "I'm not going to spend a ton of it on (measures) when I think the people that we elect are so important to what happens over the next four to six years in North Dakota."

He said he believes ballot measures are not easily passed without large grassroots support in North Dakota, regardless of how elected officials such as the governor weigh in on the issues.

"We're going to wait and see where we're at and who's in races, and where we can do the most good," Armstrong said.

He said he supports Constitutional Measure 2, created by the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 3003, which seeks to raise the threshold for approving a constitutional amendment from a simple majority of voters to 60%.