Kevin Cramer

Kevin Cramer is a Republican U.S. Senator from North Dakota, a position he has held since January 2019. Born and raised in North Dakota, he attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, and later received a Master’s degree in Management from the University of Mary in Bismarck. His early career in public service began with leadership roles in the North Dakota Republican Party, serving as its chairman from 1991 to 1993. He also held state cabinet-level positions as the Tourism Director and the Economic Development and Finance Director under Governor Ed Schafer. Prior to his election to the Senate, Cramer served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing North Dakota's at-large district from 2013 to 2019. Before his time in Congress, he was a member of the North Dakota Public Service Commission from 2003 to 2012, where he worked on utility regulation and energy policy. In 2018, he successfully challenged incumbent Senator Heidi Heitkamp, becoming the first Republican to hold that Senate seat in over 60 years. In the Senate, he serves on several committees, including Armed Services, Environment and Public Works, and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Throughout his legislative career, Cramer has established himself as a staunch conservative and an energy policy advocate. He emphasizes constituent outreach and has been recognized for holding a high number of town hall meetings. He has been a consistent supporter of domestic energy production and free-market principles, often advocating for limited government intervention and regulatory reform to stimulate economic growth.

Senator Cramer's policy positions reflect a consistently conservative platform focused on economic deregulation, domestic energy production, and national security. He is a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act and has repeatedly voted to repeal or replace it, while advocating for market-based healthcare reforms. In the realm of energy, he supports the expansion of oil, gas, and coal production, arguing that American energy independence is vital to national security. He has also been a proponent of streamlining environmental regulations to support infrastructure and energy projects. On economic issues, Cramer supports tax cuts and balancing the federal budget through spending reductions. His stance on immigration emphasizes border security and the enforcement of existing laws, though he has also supported merit-based immigration reforms, such as the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, to address labor shortages in rural medical facilities. Regarding social issues, he is pro-life and a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights. In foreign policy, he generally aligns with a 'peace through strength' approach, supporting robust military spending, strong ties with Israel, and a competitive stance toward China.