Cramer reelected to North Dakota US Senate

North Dakota Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer is set to serve in the Senate for another six years after voters stamped his return ticket to Washington.

Cramer defeated Democratic-NPL candidate challenger Katrina Christiansen with 66% of the vote on Tuesday in complete but unofficial results. 

During his acceptance speech Tuesday night in Bismarck, Cramer said he believes the Republican Party is going to control the U.S. Senate once all the votes are counted across the country.

“It’s looking a lot like I’m going to be in the majority and that’s a big, big deal,” he said.

Cramer said he was relieved that the race is over and that North Dakotans chose him to return to Washington, D.C.

“But I also just feel overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to be able to work for the most incredible people in the world,” Cramer said.

Cramer was first elected to the Senate in 2018 after defeating Democratic-NPL Party incumbent Sen. Heidi Heitkamp with 55% of the vote. Before his election to the Senate, Cramer represented North Dakota in the House of Representatives since 2013. He also is a former North Dakota Public Service Commissioner and former chair of the state Republican Party.

Christiansen, an agricultural engineer and assistant professor at the University of Jamestown, was making her second bid for U.S. Senate after unsuccessfully challenging Sen. John Hoeven in 2022.

“I am incredibly proud of this campaign,” Christiansen said at a Democratic election results watch party in Fargo. 

Asked if she planned to continue in politics, Christiansen said she has been told many times in the last 48 hours not to quit. “We’ll see,” she said. 

Democratic-NPL Rep. Corey Mock of Grand Forks told the watch party that longtime U.S. Sen. Quentin Burdick ran for office six times before being elected. Burdick represented North Dakota in Congress for more than 30 years. 

“We build upon our progress,” Mock said.

This story was updated with comments from the candidates and the latest results.