Kelly Armstrong Wins NDGOP Convention Endorsement on First Ballot, Campbell Says He’ll Go to Primary
The voting is in for the NDGOP’s hotly contested House race. There were six candidates, but state Senator Kelly Armstrong still managed to win the endorsement on the first ballot.
Here are the totals:
- Kelly Armstrong – 847 votes
- Tom Campbell – 480 votes
- Tiffany Abentroth – 27 votes
- Charles Tuttle – 24 votes
- DuWayne Hendrickson – 1 vote
- Paul Schaffner – 1 vote
This race might not be over, however, Campbell has said consistently that he’d run to the June primary ballot if he loses at the convention. Whether or not that will actually happen remains to be seen. I’m told that many in the party are pressuring him not to run so that Armstrong can begin a campaign against Democratic opponent Mac Schneider.
Also, Campbell hasn’t exactly been raising a lot of money. He’s been self-funding his campaign, for the most part. Does he have the appetite to drop another million or two on a primary campaign too?
UPDATE: Campbell says he’s running to the primary:
.@tomfornd says he'll run to primary. #ndpol pic.twitter.com/37vcrZAXRU
— Rob Port (@robport) April 7, 2018
UPDATE: And here’s what Mac Schneider had to say:
While the contest for the GOP nomination could possibly continue through the June primary, what is certain is that North Dakotans will have a clear choice between two candidates for Congress in November. #ndpol https://t.co/wtR3J1m3VU
— Mac for North Dakota (@mac4northdakota) April 8, 2018