Full Biography

Kevin Cramer was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. He serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has the broadest jurisdiction of any committee in Congress. Rep. Cramer is assigned to three subcommittees: Communications and Technology, Environment and the Economy, and Oversight and Investigations. He also serves as Co-Chairman of the Northern Border Caucus, which fosters continued growth in the relationship between the United States and Canada, and is a founding Chair of the Congressional Kids’ Safety Caucus.

He is North Dakota’s only member of the House of Representatives. Cramer has made constituent outreach a top priority, describing interacting with the public as “the best part of public service.”   According to Legistorm, the Capitol Hill government issues website, for the past two years Cramer has held the most town halls of any Member of Congress.

Cramer has had a distinguished career in public service. In 1991, he was elected Chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party, making him the youngest member of the Republican National Committee. From 1993 to 2000, he served in Governor Ed Schafer’s cabinet, first as State Tourism Director from 1993 to 1997, then as State Economic Development & Finance Director from 1997 to 2000. From 2000 to 2003, he was Executive Director of the Harold Schafer Leadership Foundation, which connects emerging leaders from the University of Mary in Bismarck with community business leaders. In 2003, then-Governor John Hoeven appointed Cramer to the Public Service Commission, and in 2004 he was elected to the position, gaining more than 65 percent of the vote.  He was re-elected in 2010 with 61.5 percent of the vote in a three-person contest.

As North Dakota Public Service Commissioner, Cramer helped to oversee the most dynamic economy in the nation. He worked to ensure North Dakotans enjoy some of the lowest utility rates in the nation, enhancing their competitive position in the global marketplace. An energy policy expert, Cramer understands America’s energy security is integral to national and economic security.

A strong advocate for the free market system, Cramer has a proven record of cutting and balancing budgets, encouraging the private sector through limited, common sense regulations and limited government.

Cramer has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, a Master’s degree in Management from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, and was conferred the degree of Doctor of Leadership, honoris causa, by the University of Mary on May 4, 2013. He is a native of Kindred, North Dakota, where he received all of his primary and secondary education. Kevin and his wife, Kris, have two adult sons, Ian and Isaac; two adult daughters, Rachel and Annie; a nine-year-old son, Abel; one granddaughter, Lyla, and two grandsons, Beau and Nico.