Merrill Piepkorn | |
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![]() Piepkorn in 2010 | |
Member of the North Dakota Senate from the 44th district | |
In office December 1, 2016 –December 1, 2024 | |
Preceded by | Tim Flakoll |
Succeeded by | Joshua Boschee |
Personal details | |
Born | Stanley,North Dakota,U.S. | June 9,1949
Political party | Democratic-NPL |
Spouse | Connie |
Children | 1 |
Education | Concordia College (BA) North Dakota State University |
Website | Official website |
Merrill Piepkorn (born June 9,1949) [1] is an American entertainer and politician who has served in the North Dakota Senate from the 44th district from 2016 to 2024. He is a member of the Democratic-NPL Party. He has also hosted radio shows on Prairie Public Radio and served as the public address announcer for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.
In 2024,Piepkorn won the Democratic nomination for governor of North Dakota,and lost to Republican nominee Kelly Armstrong in the general election.
Piepkorn was born on June 9,1949. [1] [2] He attended Concordia College. While he was enrolled there,he began playing music with Gregg Temple,a fellow student,in 1972. He graduated from Concordia in 1974. After graduating,Piepkorn and Temple co-founded a country band called Skunk Hollow. [3] [4]
Piepkorn worked for Prairie Public Radio,hosting "Morning Edition" while he was a graduate student at North Dakota State University. In 1999,he co-created and began hosting the radio show "Here &Now". [5] Piepkorn became the public address announcer for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks,a Minor League Baseball team,for the 1997 season. He stayed in the role through the 2006 season. [6] Piepkorn and Temple co-founded a band called the Radio Stars in 2008. [3] [7] He created,hosted,and served as executive producer of "Dakota Air" on Prairie Public Radio,which debuted in 2010. [8]
Piepkorn ran for the North Dakota Senate as a member of the Democratic-NPL Party in 2016. He defeated Tim Flakoll,the incumbent state senator,in the November general election. [9] Flakoll sought a rematch in 2020,and Piepkorn won reelection. [10] He won reelection in 2022 with 62% of the vote against Republican Bjorn Altenburg. [11] In November 2022,Piepkorn was elected to serve as assistant minority leader of the state senate. [12]
On April 2,2024,Piepkorn announced that he would run for governor of North Dakota in the 2024 election. [13] He won the party's nomination at their convention in April. He selected Patrick Hart as his running mate for lieutenant governor of North Dakota. [14] He went off against Congressman Kelly Armstrong and Michael Coachman. He lost the election to Kelly Armstrong. [15]
Piepkorn and his wife Connie live in Fargo,North Dakota. They have one son and two grandchildren. He is Lutheran. [16]