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Early in the campaign, a call-time manager joined me online every evening from his college haunts. Together, we would work through lists of people to call for donations. Before each call, I would reach over my very helpful call-time cat and click “Next” on my laptop screen to bring up the following name and number while Nikolai stood by to take notes and mark each call complete. One night, as we worked through a list, I hit “Next” and then exclaimed, “Joan Jett!”
“Is that someone you know?” asked Nikolai. 
“Are you kidding me?!” I grabbed an imaginary microphone. 
“I love rock ‘n’ roll,” I sang, very poorly. “Put another dime in the jukebox baby!”  
“Oh,” said Nikolai. “I know that song.” 
Relieved to find that Nikolai hadn’t been living under a musical rock, I dialed the listed number; our underdog campaign could not afford to incur the wrath of the rock ‘n’ roll gods. Diverted to voicemail, I left a personal message, perhaps less smooth than our pre-recorded one, but it was still way better than my singing. 
Weeks later, we found ourselves at Joan’s Fargo concert, as guests no less. Jen from Jamestown, a Joan Jett superfan, joined my group that night. She wore a cape decorated with “Hammer for Congress” placards and brought her WWJJD? (What Would Joan Jett Do?) poster—her own work; you won’t find it on the internet—to be autographed. Backstage before the show, Joan made us feel like we were the rock stars in the room. Her assistants, Annie and Derek, were equally gracious and adept at herding cats—even ones wearing capes. 
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts showed us why they’re still headliners—authentic, electrifying, and undiminished by time. They had the same sound and energy I remembered from the 80’s. Her voice took me back to the pizza joint we once had on Main Street in Velva, North Dakota, where I put a lot of dimes in the jukebox, baby. Everyone in my group left the arena feeling lifted and grateful for the opportunity. 
That night feels like a very long time ago, and the campaign has put on a lot of miles since then. I’ve traveled with campaign staffers nearly as young as Nikolai for some of those miles and we’ve listened to quite a bit of music. My campaign manager prefers the original “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel, while I prefer Disturbed’s remix. We now agree that Little Big Town’s original “Girl Crush” is better than the Harry Styles version, so I feel I’ve been a good influence. We also agree on Lily Allen and, of course, Joan Jett. My deputy campaign manager is like a music app, testing what I like and introducing something similar. It works for me because I am always looking to expand my palate, which explains why I’ve had Chappell Roan and Liz Phair stuck in my head lately. 
I originally planned to begin this piece with a much older song from my Sunday School days. The title was to be “This Little Light of Mine,” and the subtitle was “Hide It Under a Bezos, no! I’m Gonna Let It Shine.”  Like many other Americans, I am disappointed with billionaire media moguls who lack the courage to let their editorial boards endorse a candidate in the race for President. Add to that the Washington Post’s motto of “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” and the metaphors are blindingly obvious. 
Here in North Dakota, Democrats are done putting up with the darkness. They are not hiding their light. If their yard signs are stolen, they report the theft and immediately put up new signs. They are showing up at meetings, and women’s marches, and Pride Week events. They are knocking doors and making phone calls. This is a huge change from 2020 and 2022, and it is exhilarating. 
As a candidate who has traveled the state and encouraged my fellow Democrats to come out of hiding and be bolder, I felt obligated to set the example with a display of yard signs that borders on obnoxious. Along with traditional yard signs on stands, a line of Harris/Walz signs mounted on a rope dangles diagonally across the yard. So far, I have received only positive feedback, including a few fist bumps on Halloween night. As the darkness of that night gave way to the dawn of All Saints’ Day, my signs remained intact. 
The dawn of Election Day 2024 is right around the corner. It has been a long and tiring campaign season for all of us, but it has also been enlightening. To everyone who’s supported this journey—your kindness, commitment, and encouragement have lifted me more than you know. I’m humbled and grateful to have walked this road with you, and your belief in this campaign has been its truest strength. Of course, if I could go back in time, I would do some things differently, but that’s true of every worthy endeavor. If my campaign does not succeed, it won’t be for lack of effort, and regardless of the outcome, I will wake up on the day after the election feeling lifted and grateful for the opportunity.
And then I will get back to work. Because change is never finished, and progress is never permanent. Transformation is a process—a movement, not a moment—and we have miles to go, friends, before we can rest. We’ll need teachers who inspire, not indoctrinate; builders who build, not bulldoze; farmers who steward, not strip. We’ll need leaders who light the way forward, who push for fairness, for decency, for possibility.
Because, here in my state, we’ll need good candidates in 2026—and across the country, we’ll need thousands more. Each one of us who steps up or pitches in becomes a spark in the darkness. Together, our combined efforts can light up the landscape. So, if you believe in this work, if you see the path we’re on, please consider lending your support to keep our fire burning bright.
With the U.S. House seat open, the race for North Dakota’s sole congressional district has never been more competitive.
Trygve Hammer is a Navy and Marine Corps veteran, a former public school teacher, and a freight rail conductor. He was appointed to the Naval Academy from the fleet and served as a Marine helicopter pilot, forward air controller, and infantry officer. 
From bunking down in oilfield camps to engaging uninterested teenagers in the classroom, Trygve’s career has been a tour of duty in the trenches of American life. Trygve’s commitment to public service is unwavering. He lives by the ethos “Officers Eat Last” and is ready to serve as North Dakota’s next Congressman, putting the people's needs first.
Watch Trygve’s campaign launch video here [ [link removed] ].

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