Kevin Cramer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kevin Cramer
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Official portrait, 2019
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| United States Senator from North Dakota |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2019 Serving with John Hoeven
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| Preceded by | Heidi Heitkamp |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Dakota's at-large district |
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| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Rick Berg |
| Succeeded by | Kelly Armstrong |
| Member of the North Dakota Public Service Commission | |
| In office August 1, 2003 – December 31, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Leo Reinbold |
| Succeeded by | Julie Fedorchak |
| Chair of the North Dakota Republican Party | |
| In office July 1991 – May 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Layton Freborg |
| Succeeded by | John Korsmo |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kevin John Cramer
January 21, 1961 Rolla, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Kris Neumann
(m. 1986) |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Concordia College (BA) University of Mary (MA) |
Kevin John Cramer (born January 21, 1961) is an American politician. He has been a U.S. Senator for North Dakota since 2019. Before that, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Cramer also led the North Dakota Republican Party from 1991 to 1993. He worked for the state as Tourism Director and Economic Development Director. From 2003 to 2012, he was on the North Dakota Public Service Commission. In 2018, he won his first Senate term, becoming the first Republican to win that specific Senate seat in North Dakota since 1958. He was reelected in 2024.
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Early Life and Education
Kevin Cramer was born in Rolette, North Dakota. He was the first of five children. He grew up in Kindred, North Dakota. He finished high school there.
In 1983, he earned a bachelor's degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Later, in 2003, he received a master's degree in management from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Early Career
After college, Cramer worked on political campaigns. In 1986, he helped U.S. Senator Mark Andrews with his reelection campaign. After that, Cramer started working for the state Republican Party.
From 1991 to 1993, Cramer was the chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party. He was the youngest person to hold this position at age 30.
In 1993, the governor of North Dakota, Ed Schafer, made Cramer the state's tourism director. He worked in this role until 1997. Then, he became the Economic Development Director until 2000.
After these roles, Cramer became the director of the Harold Schafer Leadership Foundation from 2000 to 2003.
North Dakota Public Service Commission (2003–2012)
In 2003, Governor John Hoeven appointed Cramer to the Public Service Commission. This commission helps regulate important services in the state, like utilities.
He was elected to a six-year term on the commission in 2004. He won reelection for a second term in 2010. He served on the commission until 2012.
U.S. House of Representatives (2013–2019)
Becoming a Representative
Kevin Cramer ran for North Dakota's seat in the United States House of Representatives several times. He first ran in 1996 and again in 1998, but he did not win those elections.
In 2012, he ran for the House seat for the fourth time. He won the Republican primary election. In November 2012, he won the general election and became a U.S. Representative. He started his term on January 3, 2013.
He was reelected to the House in 2014 and 2016, serving three terms in total.
What He Believed In
As a Representative, Kevin Cramer shared his views on many topics:
- Donald Trump: Cramer was one of the first Republicans in the House to support Donald Trump. He often agreed with Trump's policies. For example, he supported Trump's order that temporarily stopped people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.
- Environment and Energy: Cramer does not agree with the scientific idea that human actions are the main cause of climate change. He supports increasing oil and gas drilling. He also believes in lowering taxes for companies that produce energy. He helped write Donald Trump's energy plan, which focused on using fossil fuels.
- Food Stamps: Cramer supported reducing funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps people buy food.
- Gun Policy: He believes that stricter gun control laws would not stop violence. He has said that the problem is terrorism, not the U.S. Constitution.
- Health Care: Cramer was against the Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare." He voted to cancel it many times. He also voted against expanding Medicaid, which provides health care to low-income people. He opposed rules that would require people to get vaccines or wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- LGBT Rights: Cramer does not support same-sex marriage.
- Taxes: He has voted to remove the estate tax, which is a tax on large amounts of money or property left by someone after they die. He also supported Trump's taxes on imported goods.
U.S. Senate
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Becoming a Senator
In 2018, Kevin Cramer decided to run for the U.S. Senate. He ran against the sitting Senator, Heidi Heitkamp. He won the Republican nomination in June 2018.
In the election on November 6, 2018, Cramer defeated Heitkamp. He received 55% of the votes. He began his term as a U.S. Senator on January 3, 2019. He was reelected in 2024.
What He Does in the Senate
As a Senator, Cramer has continued to work on issues important to him.
- In 2019, he supported lawsuits that aimed to overturn Obamacare.
- He also defended Donald Trump's decision to host a G7 conference at a resort owned by Trump.
- In December 2019, he was the only Senator to vote against a motion to recognize the Armenian genocide. This was at the request of President Trump.
Committee Work
As a U.S. Senator, Kevin Cramer works on several important committees. These committees study different topics and help create laws.
He is part of:
- The Committee on Armed Services, which deals with military and defense issues.
- The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, which handles topics like money, homes, and community development.
- The Committee on Environment and Public Works, which focuses on environmental issues and public projects.
- The Committee on the Budget, which works on the government's spending plans.
- The Committee on Veterans' Affairs, which helps military veterans.
Personal Life
Kevin Cramer married Kris Neumann in 1986. He adopted her two sons, Isaac and Ian. The Cramers have five children and six grandchildren.
Cramer helps lead the Roughrider Honor Flight program. This program allows World War II veterans to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In June 2022, Cramer hurt his right hand while working in his yard. He needed surgery for the injury.
Images for kids
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Cramer speaking at the 2013 CPAC in National Harbor, Maryland.
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See also
In Spanish: Kevin Cramer para niños
