BISMARCK, N.D. — U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota won a second term on Tuesday, turning back a challenge from a Democrat making her second attempt to gain a Senate seat.
The veteran Republican politician beat Democrat Katrina Christiansen, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Jamestown. Cramer, a former congressman, first won the seat in 2018, defeating Democrat Heidi Heitkamp 's reelection bid.
In his campaign, Cramer touted his longtime support for former President Donald Trump and his work during the Trump administration on deregulation, border security, energy and agriculture issues. The 63-year-old Cramer is known for his approachable yet blunt manner.
''I just know I'm blessed to represent the most patriotic, virtuous people in the country and carry their message for them in Washington,'' Cramer told The Associated Press by phone.
Christiansen was making her second bid for a Senate seat after running unsuccessfully against Republican Sen. John Hoeven in 2022.
A former U.S. House member and public utilities regulator, Cramer, 63, originally captured his seat from Heitkamp in 2018 in one of the most closely watched Senate races that year.
In challenging Cramer, Christiansen had cast herself as a problem solver and highlighted her rural and impoverished upbringing amid the nation's farm crisis. The 42-year-old Democrat has a doctorate in agricultural engineering and had worked as an engineer at an ethanol plant before taking a position as an assistant engineering professor at the University of Jamestown.
Cramer is known for an approachable but blunt manner. He has been a player for decades in state GOP politics, including as a young state party chairman in the early 1990s when Republicans began turning the tables on North Dakota's then-dominant Democrats.
