Kevin Cramer
Kevin Cramer | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's At Large district |
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Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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Preceded by | Rick Berg |
North Dakota Public Service Commissioner | |
In office August 1, 2003 – December 31, 2012 |
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Preceded by | Leo M. Reinbold |
Succeeded by | Julie Fedorchak |
Personal details | |
Born | Kevin John Cramer January 21, 1961 Rolette, North Dakota |
Political party | Republican |
Residence | Bismarck, North Dakota |
Religion | Pentecostal[1][2] |
Kevin John Cramer (born January 21, 1961) is an American politician who has been the United States Representative for North Dakota's At-large congressional district since 2013. Previously he served on the North Dakota Public Service Commission from 2003 to 2012, as the state economic development director from 1997 to 2000, and as the state tourism director from 1993 to 1997. He also served a short term as chair of the North Dakota Republican Party.
In Congress, Cramer serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources and on the House Committee on Science and Technology.
Contents
Early life, education, and early political career
Cramer was born in Rolette, North Dakota, the first of the five children of Richard and Clarice Cramer. He was raised in Kindred, North Dakota in Cass County. He graduated from Kindred High School. He received a B.A. degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota in 1983. He earned a Master's degree in management from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota in 2003.[3]
After college, he campaigned for an unsuccessful Republican tax commissioner candidate in 1984. In 1986, he campaigned for U.S. Senator Mark Andrews’ bid for re-election. Andrews lost to North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party U.S. Senator Kent Conrad. Conrad's party is the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party. Cramer went on to work for the state Republican Party.
Political career in the 1990s
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He was the Chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party from 1991 to 1993. At age 30, he was the youngest person to be named state party chairman.
In 1993, Republican Governor Ed Schafer appointed him to be State Tourism Director and served that position until he was appointed to become Economic Development Director in 1997.
In 1996, House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas, a North Dakota native, persuaded Cramer to challenge Democratic U.S. Congressman Earl Pomeroy in North Dakota's At-large congressional district. Pomeroy defeated him 55%–43%.[4] In 1998, Cramer ran against him in a rematch. Pomeroy defeated him again by a wider margin of 56%–41%.[5]
Political career in the 2000s
Following his stint as Director of Economic Development, he became Director of the Harold Schafer Leadership Foundation. He served that position until he was appointed to the Public Service Commission by Republican Governor John Hoeven.[6] He was elected to a six-year term in 2004 when he defeated NPL nominee Ron Gumeringer 65%–35%.[7]
Cramer serves as the co-chairman of the Roughrider Honor Flight program. This program gives World War Two veterans the chance to visit the World War Two memorial in Washington, D.C. Cramer has worked to locate veterans and raise money for them to take part in the program.[8]
2010 elections
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On January 14, 2010, he announced he would run for the North Dakota seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.[9] Cramer was very visible in early 2010 at North Dakota town hall meetings fighting against health care legislation passed by the US House in late 2009.[10] Cramer has attended numerous Tea Party rallies in North Dakota, where he speaks about energy, taxes, jobs and the Constitution.[11] He was unsuccessful in receiving the nomination at the state Republican Party convention in March 2010, losing to former House Majority Leader Rick Berg.
Cramer won re-election to a second term to the Public Service Commission, defeating Democratic candidate Brad Crabtree 61%–35%.[12]
U.S. House of Representatives (2013–present)
2012 election
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In 2012, incumbent U.S. Congressman Rick Berg decided to retire to run for the U.S. Senate. Cramer decided to run for the seat a fourth time. In the Republican primary, he defeated fellow Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk 54%–45%, bypassing the Republican Convention in March.[13][14] Cramer went on to defeat Democratic State Representative Pam Gulleson in the general election 55%–42%. He won 42 of the state's 53 counties.[15] Cramer was sworn in on January 3, 2013.
Positions
Cramer is pro-life and opposes taxpayer-funded abortions,[16] most of which are already banned by the Hyde Amendment. He opposes churches providing birth control.[17] He supports the Federal Marriage Amendment and believes marriage is between one man and one woman.[18]
Cramer is a fiscal conservative who opposes federal stimulus money.[citation needed] He opposes increasing tax rates including income taxes, and supports tax incentives for job creation.
Cramer calls himself a climate change skeptic, and has called global warming a "hoax".[19] He supports offshore drilling and opposes regulating greenhouse gas emissions. He supports the coal and oil industry in North Dakota.[20] Cramer signed the "No Climate Tax Pledge."[21]
Cramer supports gun rights and opposed the provisions of the Violence Against Women Act that extended tribal jurisdiction over non-tribal members accused of sexual assault and rape against tribal members. Cramer claimed that the provisions would be ruled unconstitutional and that it would be difficult for a non-Tribal member to receive a fair trial from a Tribal Court.[citation needed]
Controversy
Cramer stirred controversy in September 2013 when he cited a Biblical quotation on the House floor in support of Republicans' efforts to cut some $40 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, after having used the same quotation in response to a constituent's opposition to the proposal. The bill passed on a largely party-line vote.[22] Cramer is 'skeptical' of the mainstream view by scientists that global warming severely can do economic and physical damage, but rejecting Donald Trump's view that it is a 'hoax'. [23]
Committee assignments
Personal life
In 2010, Cramer and his wife, Kris, became "interveners" in the matter of a child whose mother, a former girlfriend of one of their sons, was beaten to death by her current boyfriend. Police investigation as reported by local media indicated that both the child's mother and her boyfriend were involved with drugs. The baby's father lived out of state. Although not related to the child, the Cramers were able to have themselves made temporary guardians of the child. Previously authorities had briefly placed the child with its maternal grandmother, and also are stated in court records as having "misplaced" contact information for the baby's father. As a result, the baby's father was not notified of court hearings and did not participate in proceedings resulting in placing the child with the Cramers, and his parental rights were legally terminated. On December 3, 2010, the state supreme court heard arguments with regard to an appeal of the termination by the baby's father.[25]
He is married to Kris, and has five children.[26]
References
- ↑ http://www.realclearpolitics.com/news/ap/politics/2012/Jun/12/psc_members_vie_for_nd_congress__berg_seeks_senate.html
- ↑ http://www.newsongbismarck.com/about/
- ↑ http://kevincramer.org/meetkevin/
- ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=29648
- ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=30807
- ↑ http://nationaljournal.com/congress-legacy/north-dakota-at-large-house-district-20121101
- ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=179384
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ [3]
- ↑ [4]
- ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=656954
- ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=733298
- ↑ http://www.bakkentoday.com/event/article/id/34042/publisher_ID/82/
- ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=703641
- ↑ http://kevincramer.org/2011/12/kevin-cramer-commits-to-no-taxpayer-funding-of-abortion/
- ↑ http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Kevin_Cramer.htm
- ↑ http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Kevin_Cramer_Civil_Rights.htm
- ↑ New York Times: What Are Donald Trump’s Views on Climate Change? Some Clues Emerge
- ↑ [5]
- ↑ [6]
- ↑ [7]
- ↑ Evan Lehmann 2016: Meet Donald Trump’s New Energy Adviser Kevin Cramer calls himself a climate-change skeptic yet he might support a carbon tax' ClimateWire on May 13, 2016. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/meet-donald-trump-s-new-energy-adviser/. Seen 24th May 2016.
- ↑ http://www.willistonherald.com/news/cramer-ready-to-get-going/article_b244d19a-568a-11e2-aa25-0019bb2963f4.html
- ↑ [8]
- ↑ Public Service Commission, North Dakota: Tony Clark, Commissioner
External links
- Congressman Kevin Cramer official U.S. House site
- Kevin Cramer for Congress
- Kevin Cramer at DMOZ
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Project Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by | North Dakota Public Service Commissioner 2003–2012 |
Succeeded by Julie Fedorchak |
United States House of Representatives | ||
Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's At-large congressional district 2013–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
United States order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
Preceded by | United States Representatives by seniority 317th |
Succeeded by Rodney Davis R-Illinois |
- Pages using duplicate arguments in template calls
- Articles with unsourced statements from October 2013
- Articles with DMOZ links
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from North Dakota
- North Dakota Public Service Commissioners
- 1961 births
- Living people
- North Dakota Republicans
- People from Rolette County, North Dakota
- Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota) alumni
- University of Mary alumni
- People from Cass County, North Dakota
- People from Bismarck, North Dakota
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives