Democrats Christiansen, Hammer ready to take on Republicans for congressional seats

Published by News From The States | April 6, 2024

Katrina Christiansen hugs a fellow Democrat before accepting the party's nomination for U.S. Senate on Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Fargo. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

Democrats on Saturday endorsed Katrina Christiansen for U.S. Senate and Trygve Hammer for U.S. House, with both candidates saying  experience and better organization can help them win.  

Christiansen is challenging Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer, trying to build on her campaign in 2022 when she tried to unseat Republican Sen. John Hoeven. 

She called the 2024 campaign “a complete 180” from that race, with more energy in the party and better organization in her campaign. She said  she has raised five times the money she raised two years ago. 

“Democratic tenacity is making a comeback,” Christiansen said. 

She said she will be taking a leave of absence from her job as an associate professor of engineering at the University of Jamestown to campaign full time. 

“Our opponents haven’t really faced organized opposition since 2018, and now they’re going to face that in a big way,” she said. 

“It’s really exciting to have the infrastructure, the fundraising support, momentum,” she said.

Nominator Sarah Vogel described Christiansen as tenacious, helping her overcome her family losing its farm during the 1980s farm crisis and going on to earn a doctorate degree in agricultural engineering. 

“The values of resilience and hard work have been a constant presence in my life,” Christiansen told the convention.  

She told Democrats to stick to their values, calling for protection of reproductive rights and a balanced approach to border security and gun laws. 

“Your core values are immune to clickbait conspiracies,” she said.  

In a speech, Roger Lau, deputy executive director of the Democratic National Committee, also stressed the importance of party organization.  

“This is how we win elections, it’s infrastructure,” Lau said. 

Hammer is trying to take the seat vacated by Republican Kelly Armstrong, who is running for governor.

“We’re fighting for working people like my mom and dad,” Hammer said. He said his father was a state employee who’s able to afford assisted living because of programs like Social Security and Medicare. 

“Those are all programs that we have to defend,” Hammer said. 

Hammer, a Marine Corps veteran, talked about being bullied as a youngster in Velva and his mother told him to punch the bully in the nose – which he did, with great success. But he said he kept punching noses to the point that his mother had to rein him in. 

But he said he’s ready to fight again for working class people like his parents. 

“I’m on the team for whom patriotism is more than just a flag pin on our lapel,” Hammer said. “You can put those flag-pin patriots on notice … I am a North Dakota Democrat and I plan to win.” 

When the question was asked if there were any other nominations from the floor, someone shouted, “Who would dare?”

Hammer’s Republican opponent in the general election will be decided in a three-way race in the June 11 primary between Alex Balazs, who won the party endorsement, Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak and Rick Becker, a former state senator. 

— by Jeff Beach