Full interview with North Dakota Congressional candidate Trygve Hammer
(MINOT, ND) – A former United States Navy member, Velva native Trygve Hammer is looking to represent North Dakota in the state’s lone seat in Congress.
Hammer, the democratic challenger, is set to face Julie Fedorchak, a current sitting North Dakota Public Service Commission member.
He’s no stranger to politics in North Dakota, having previously ran for a spot on the three-member Public Service Commission in 2022, a seat won by Republican Sheri Haugen-Hoffart, who currently sits on the commission with Fedorchak and Randy Christmann.
“I promised that I’d be back,” Hammer said in an interview Monday afternoon, referring to his failed attempt in 2022 to be seated on the Public Service Commission.
He said the United States House ‘hasn’t gotten a lot done’ in the past several years, signaling a need for change. He said the current seat, held by Armstrong, belongs to the voters in North Dakota.
“That seat belongs to the people in that district. That U.S. House seat, occupied right now by Kelly Armstrong, belongs to the people of North Dakota,” Hammer said. “I feel like a lot of them have forgotten that, when they took their oath of office, that oath was to the Constitution of the United States of America, not to a party, not to a person.”
Among his priorities, if elected, is the farm bill.
“I don’t think you can run this year for federal office in North Dakota and not be concerned about the fact that we haven’t gotten a farm bill across the line,” Hammer said.
He also pointed to the fact that border/immigration bill has yet to be passed.
“We need to get those things done,” Hammer said. “And then it’s just going to be addressing those on-the-ground concerns that you find as you’re campaigning around the state.”
He said childcare is one of those concerns.
“I wasn’t aware of just how big of a problem finding affordable and adequate childcare was,” Hammer said.
