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 since 2016. 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. [2] [3] 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. [4] [5]
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". [6] 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. [7] Piepkorn and Temple co-founded a band called the Radio Stars in 2008. [4] [8] He created,hosted,and served as executive producer of "Dakota Air" on Prairie Public Radio,which debuted in 2010. [9]
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. [10] Flakoll sought a rematch in 2020,and Piepkorn won reelection. [11] He won reelection in 2022 with 62% of the vote against Republican Bjorn Altenburg. [12] In November 2022,Piepkorn was elected to serve as assistant minority leader of the state senate. [13]
On April 2,2024,Piepkorn announced that he would run for governor of North Dakota in the 2024 election. [14] 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. [15] He went off against Congressman Kelly Armstrong and Michael Coachman. He lost the election to Kelly Armstrong. [16]
Piepkorn and his wife Connie live in Fargo,North Dakota. They have one son and two grandchildren. He is Lutheran. [17]
North Dakota is a landlocked U.S. state in the Upper Midwest,named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east,South Dakota to the south,and Montana to the west. North Dakota is part of the Great Plains region,characterized by broad prairies,steppe,temperate savanna,badlands,and farmland. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state,but with a population of less than 780,000,it is the fourth-least populous and fourth-most sparsely populated. The state capital is Bismarck while the most populous city is Fargo,which accounts for nearly a fifth of the state's population;both cities are among the fastest-growing in the U.S.,although half of all residents live in rural areas.
Fargo is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 census,which was estimated to have grown to 133,188 in 2023,making it the 218th-most populous city in the United States. Fargo,along with its twin city of Moorhead,Minnesota,form the core of the Fargo–Moorhead metropolitan statistical area,which had a population of 248,591 in 2020.
KVLY-TV is a television station in Fargo,North Dakota,United States,affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside KXJB-LD,a low-power CBS and CW affiliate. The two stations share studios on 21st Avenue South in Fargo;KVLY-TV's transmitter is located near Blanchard. In addition to its main studio in Fargo,KVLY-TV operates a news bureau and sales office in the US Bank building in downtown Grand Forks.
Newman Outdoor Field is a baseball stadium in Fargo,North Dakota. It is located on the campus of North Dakota State University and is the home of the independent American Association's Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and the North Dakota State Bison baseball team.
The 2012 United States Senate election in North Dakota took place on November 6,2012,concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election,other United States Senate elections,United States House of Representatives elections,and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic-NPL Senator Kent Conrad decided to retire instead of running for reelection to a fifth term.
The 2012 North Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 6,2012,to elect a Governor and Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota,concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election,as well as elections to the United States Senate,elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Governor Jack Dalrymple succeeded to the office when then-Governor John Hoeven resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2010. Dalrymple,a member of the Republican Party,won election to a full term. Ryan Taylor was the Democratic nominee. Dalrymple prevailed with 63% of the vote;he declined to seek re-election in 2016.
The 2016 North Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 8,2016,to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota,concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election,as well as elections to the United States Senate,elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. This would have been the first time North Dakotans selected a governor under new voter ID requirements,in which a student ID was insufficient identification to vote,but a court ruling in August 2016 struck the down the provision;the election was held under the 2013 rules.
Tim Flakoll is an American business owner,community leader and politician.
Douglas James Burgum is an American businessman and politician serving since 2016 as the 33rd governor of North Dakota. He is a member of the Republican Party.
North Dakota held two statewide elections in 2016:a primary election on Tuesday,June 14,and a general election on Tuesday,November 8. In addition,each township elected officers on Tuesday,March 15,and each school district selected a date between April 1 and June 30 to hold their elections. This would have been the first election since the state legislature revoked the ability to use a student or military ID to satisfy state ID voting requirements,but a court ruling in August struck the down the provision,and the election was held under the 2013 rules.
The 2018 United States Senate election in North Dakota took place on November 6,2018,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of North Dakota,concurrently with other elections to the U.S. Senate,as well as other federal,state and local elections in North Dakota.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives election in North Dakota was held on November 6,2018,to elect the U.S. representative for North Dakota's at-large congressional district. The election coincided with the U.S. Senate election,as well as other statewide,legislative,and local elections.
Kelly Michael Armstrong is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for North Dakota's at-large congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republican Party,he served as the North Dakota state senator from the 36th district from 2012 to 2018 and chair of the North Dakota Republican Party from 2015 until 2018. On January 23,2024,he announced he would not seek re-election to the House,and would instead run in the 2024 North Dakota gubernatorial election. Armstrong won the Republican primary on June 11,2024,and defeated Democratic nominee Merrill Piepkorn in the general election.
The 2020 United States House of Representatives election in North Dakota was held on November 3,2020,to elect the U.S. representative from North Dakota's at-large congressional district. The election coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
The 1924 North Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 4,1924.
Michael Howe is an American politician serving as the North Dakota Secretary of State. Elected in November 2022,he assumed office on January 1,2023.
The 2024 North Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 5,2024,to elect the governor of North Dakota. Incumbent Republican governor Doug Burgum decided to not seek re-election to a third term. He would ultimately decide to run for president. The Democratic–Nonpartisan League (NPL) Party has not won a governor's race in North Dakota since 1988.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives election in North Dakota were held on November 5,2024,to elect a member of the United States House of Representatives to represent the state of North Dakota from its at-large congressional district. The election coincided with the 2024 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the U.S. House,elections to the United States Senate,and various other state and local elections. The primary elections are scheduled for June 11,2024.
Tammy Miller is an American politician and corporate executive from North Dakota. Assuming office in 2023,she is the 39th lieutenant governor of North Dakota. Miller was appointed by Governor Doug Burgum,following Lieutenant Governor Brent Sanford's resignation.
Jonathan Casper is an American attorney and politician from the state of North Dakota. A member of the Republican Party,he represented the 27th district in the North Dakota Senate from 2014 to 2018.