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Tag: Kevin Cramer

  • AP Decision Notes: What to expect in North Dakota on Election Day

    AP Decision Notes: What to expect in North Dakota on Election Day

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump will compete for North Dakota’s three electoral votes in the Nov. 5 presidential election. Voters will also pick candidates for a full slate of federal and state offices.

    North Dakota briefly played a heightened role in the 2024 campaign when Republican Gov. Doug Burgum made it to the short-list to be Trump’s running mate. But the state historically has not attracted much attention in general elections and has a long track record of supporting the Republican nominee. The only Democratic presidential candidate to win North Dakota in the last 84 years was President Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

    Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer faces a challenge from Democrat Katrina Christiansen in his bid for a second term, while Republican Kelly Armstrong, Democrat Merrill Piepkorn and independent Michael Coachman look to succeed Burgum as governor.

    Further down the ballot, voters will decide Ballot Measure 4, which would abolish the state property tax, and Ballot Measure 5, which would legalize recreational marijuana.

    North Dakota is the only state that does not have statewide voter registration. Residents must present a valid ID to vote. Only the small tourist town of Medora has voter registration.

    In 2020, Republican candidates captured all partisan national and statewide races. Democrats won just two legislative seats, both in the Fargo area.

    The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it has determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

    Here’s a look at what to expect in the 2024 election in North Dakota:

    Election Day

    Nov. 5

    Poll closing time

    8 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET. North Dakota covers two time zones, so most of the state will start reporting results while some voters in the southwest are still casting ballots until 7 p.m. MT (9 p.m. ET).

    Presidential electoral votes

    3 awarded to statewide winner.

    Key races and candidates

    President: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian).

    U.S. Senate: Cramer (R) vs. Christiansen (D).

    Governor: Armstrong (R) vs. Piepkorn (D) vs. Coachman (independent).

    Ballot measure: Measure 5 (legalize marijuana).

    Other races of interest

    U.S. House, state Senate, state House, auditor, insurance commissioner, public service commission, superintendent of public instruction, treasurer and additional ballot measures.

    Past presidential results

    2020: Trump (R) 65%, Biden (D) 32%, AP race call: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, 9 p.m. ET.

    Voter registration and turnout

    Voting eligible population: 575,817 (as of Sept. 1, 2024).

    Voter turnout in 2020 presidential election: 62% of registered voters.

    Pre-Election Day voting

    Votes cast before Election Day 2020: about 75% of the total vote.

    Votes cast before Election Day 2022: about 44% of the total vote.

    Votes cast before Election Day 2024: See AP Advance Vote tracker.

    How long does vote-counting take?

    First votes reported, Nov. 3, 2020: 8:46 p.m. ET.

    By midnight ET: about 92% of total votes cast were reported.

    What to know about the 2024 Election

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    Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut contributed to this report.

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    Read more about how U.S. elections work at Explaining Election 2024, a series from The Associated Press aimed at helping make sense of the American democracy. The AP receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • Son of US Sen. Kevin Cramer crashes during police chase, killing North Dakota sheriff's deputy

    Son of US Sen. Kevin Cramer crashes during police chase, killing North Dakota sheriff's deputy

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    BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The 42-year-old son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer crashed into a North Dakota sheriff’s vehicle during a police chase, pushing it into a deputy and killing him, according to authorities and the Republican senator’s family.

    Ian Cramer, of Bismarck, was arrested and jailed following Wednesday’s crash, and charges are pending, the North Dakota Highway Patrol said in a news release. The name of the Mercer County deputy who was killed has not been released, and the sheriff’s office didn’t immediately respond to a Thursday voicemail seeking further information.

    “We ask the public for prayers for the lost officer’s family and colleagues who serve us every day and are grateful for all they do for us,” Kevin Cramer said in a statement.

    The first-term senator wrote that his son “suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.” Earlier Wednesday, Ian Cramer insisted on “going to his brother Ike,” who died in 2018, according the statement, which doesn’t further explain what that means. As a result, the senator’s wife, Kris, took Ian Cramer to the Sanford Health emergency room in Bismarck.

    When Kris Cramer got out of the family’s Chevrolet Tahoe, Ian Cramer got into the driver’s seat and drove off, Kevin Cramer said. The senator’s daughter tracked the SUV through a cellphone and alerted the authorities.

    The highway patrol said a Mercer County deputy saw Cramer and the SUV in the town of Hazen. Cramer fled and, during the chase, crashed at around 6 p.m. into an unoccupied Mercer County Sheriff’s vehicle that was parked on the side of a state highway near Hazen, said Mark Schmitt, chief deputy for Mercer County.

    A deputy was standing behind the parked vehicle and preparing to deploy a tire deflation device to end the chase. The impact of the crash pushed the vehicle into the deputy, killing him.

    Ian Cramer was taken to a hospital in Hazen and then to the Mercer County Jail in Stanton.

    Kevin Cramer was elected to the Senate in 2018 after serving three terms in the House. In addition to Ian and Ike, Cramer and his wife have one other son, two daughters and six grandchildren, according to a biography on Cramer’s Senate web page.

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    Salter reported from O’Fallon, Missouri.

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  • Senators say North Dakota farmer detained in Ukraine is home

    Senators say North Dakota farmer detained in Ukraine is home

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    BISMARCK, N.D. — A North Dakota farmer who had been detained in Ukraine since November 2021 on accusations he planned to kill his business partner is back home, the state’s two U.S. senators announced Friday.

    Kurt Groszhans, from Ashley, North Dakota, has ancestors from Ukraine and went there to farm in 2017. The relationship with his partner, law professor Roman Leshchenko, crumbled after Groszhans alleged that Leshchenko embezzled money from him.

    Groszhans and his assistant were arrested on charges of plotting to assassinate Leshchenko, who was then Ukraine’s agriculture minister. Groszhans said in a statement Friday that the Ukrainian officials made up the charges in an “effort to shut me up” after he discovered corruption “at the highest levels” of the government.

    “I am grateful to be home after this horrible ordeal,” Groszhans said in a statement. “My family and supporters worked tirelessly over a long period of time to make this happen and it was nice to be able to celebrate my birthday on North Dakota soil.

    “The fact they refused to classify me as a wrongful detainee was an unfortunate and politically cowardly act that cost me almost a year of my life,” he said.

    Groszhans is among a handful of Americans jailed in Ukraine or Russia whose departures have been complicated by the war.

    A statement Friday from Groszhans’ family said the charges would have been dismissed in a U.S. court for lack of evidence. “Kurt was eventually able to legally depart Ukraine when his bail restrictions allowed,” the statement said.

    Republican U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven said they are grateful for Groszhans’ safe return home but did not offer further information.

    “Out of respect for the family’s wishes, we aren’t able to provide additional details at this time,” said Kami Capener, Hoeven’s spokeswoman.

    Cramer did not immediately return an email message seeking further comment.

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