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I was ten years old the first time I remember being interested in politics. Early, I know. I was watching a CBS news program, with my parents, in the fall of 1994, at the height of election campaigns when a puff piece about politicians’ commercials came on. The topic: politicians wearing flannel shirts. Growing up in North Dakota, and during the height of “grunge” music, flannel shirts weren’t unknown to me. In the piece, Connie Chung talked about the trend of politicians wearing flannel shirts, most likely as a way for them to seem relatable and one of us. Much to my ten-year-old surprise, North Dakota’s very own Kent Conrad was featured with his flannel shirt. How could this be possible? North Dakota, a flyover state, mentioned on CBS? You mean, other people in the country know we’re a state? My barely-tall-enough-to-be-out-of-a-booster-seat self was hooked!
My military Republican father was skeptical and most likely thought it was a phase I’d outgrow. I didn’t. He probably knew what was coming when just the year prior, his youngest child was pointing out that George H.W. Bush was bloviating about taxes and commenting about how cool Bill Clinton was playing his saxophone.
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Yes, I became interested in politics and became a Democrat at only a decade old because I saw a flanneled Kent Conrad on national news. It turns out, the older I got, the more I realized I aligned with the values of the 90s Democrat. We all have an origin story, right?
Growing up and becoming an adult, I always had an opinion on politics, pointing out the unfairness I witnessed with marginalized groups, wars, and the lack of equal rights. But what did I actually do to be the change? Well, I complained a little more, donated a little bit of money when I could, signed petitions, and called my representatives when I didn’t think they made the right decision for North Dakotans. I volunteered here and there on campaigns I felt could make a difference but at the time, I didn’t feel like I was truly making a difference. In my role now, I couldn’t disagree more with my younger self. It does make a difference no matter the outcome.
One question that has continued to haunt me for the last decade is how did North Dakota take such a ferocious right turn when we had two democratic senators for nearly two decades and a representative for about the same? And while it’s nearly a century ago, a Democratic president took rural America from barely hanging on to mostly thriving. We can still have nice things, right?
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Not on the path and trajectory we’re currently on. We, as a state, lost representatives who picked up the phone, traded them for those who campaigned to “drain the swamp” but only made it swampier. We lost the clout and backbone of senior senators and a representative who delivered for the state, took care of their constituents, and served on powerful committees. This isn’t a partisan loss, this is a statewide loss.
We lost accessibility. Today, North Dakotans get a form letter if they contact one senator, a snarky letter from another senator, and crickets from our representative. When did that become the North Dakota way? And ask them to a town hall or to show up to something that isn’t a photo op? You may as well talk to an empty chair because that’s what has become accessible.
What happened to voting for North Dakota first? Our current representation feels like its loyalty belongs to national donors or the national party rather than to North Dakota. We’re just asking for them to put the state and ALL constituents over party.
Strong representation used to be concerned about the “kitchen table” issues, but instead we’re constantly hearing about Medicaid cuts to those who truly need it, rural healthcare in grave danger, veterans being robbed of their benefits while being buffaloed into believing they’re gaining better, and not being able to afford the very food our farmers bring to the table. What are we actually gaining besides out-of-touch D.C. residents who pretend to represent and be North Dakotans?
So, how does a ten-year-old Kent Conrad fangirl become a woman-of-a-certain-age, from-the-bleachers Democrat? Simply put, I didn’t get involved, truly involved. We’re taught we can make a difference by voting, but it has come to a point, that while that still matters, it’s possible it matters more than ever now. With the current state of affairs, the ever growing distance between the wealthy and the everyday living, and the underrepresented, I have been fighting with myself to become more involved in being the change, all while fighting the near constant feeling of dread or that we, as a country, are toast. And then I met Trygve Hammer.
He’s NORMAL. Wait, a normal politician? Is that possible? It is.
You put this guy in a room, and he’s listening to every word. Perhaps, that’s his experience as a teacher and leader. Listening to listen, not listening to speak.
Steady, cool, calm, and collected every time. That’s the military man. When the Iran war began, local media asked him what he thought of it. He knows the risk and the weight of sending our kids, our brothers and sisters, our parents, or our family members to war, not because he’s heard about it, but because he’s been there himself.
When I learned that Trygve left Velva, ND for the Naval Academy and then the Marine Corps, and eventually serving in the Iraq war, a few things crossed my mind: 1. He left ND and came back? 2. My veteran (Desert Storm/Desert Shield) dad would vote for this guy. 3. How do I help?
PAC money? Nope. Because he answers to North Dakota, not to those who simply have a financial interest in his vote. AIPAC? Absolutely not. Words I’ve heard him say: let’s take care of our own first before we fund Israel.
I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing him interact with people from all walks of life, all demographics, and it didn’t matter whether they were a Republican, an Independent, or a Dem-NPL’er. He listened to them. Even in a Sons of Liberty town hall meeting that the incumbent chose not to attend. Isn’t that what we want?
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Those kitchen table issues we continue to worry about? Only someone who isn’t so egregiously out of touch can begin to make changes because he actually understands them. Perhaps part of that comes from his Republican grandfather who served in the North Dakota legislature.
Let’s take a big step back from political parties right now. Let’s vote for someone who isn’t swayed by corporate agenda or buzz words, who can actually represent every single one of us, and face North Dakotans every step of the way.
We won’t find the perfect candidate, and that’s something we seem to get hung up on when we have our ballot in hand. Let’s send someone to Washington who will represent all of us, and listen to us if we disagree. Isn’t that the criteria we should begin with? Trygve Hammer is that someone. That’s what it took for me to go from a ten-year-old Conrad fangirl to getting out of the bleachers and being part of the change.
It’s your move, North Dakota.
Trygve is running for the U.S. House of Representatives because North Dakotans, and all Americans, deserve representatives who answer to them. Not to special interest or a corporate PAC or a tech billionaire.
If that’s the kind of representation you’re looking for, I need your help to get there. A contribution of any size — $10, $25, $50 — keeps this campaign funded, this newsletter in front of new readers, and this message in the conversation.
Hammer for ND, PO Box 58, Minot ND, 58702-0058
Punching Up. Always.
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