Rep. Claire Cory announces bid for North Dakota Senate

Feb. 26—GRAND FORKS — A legislator who has been serving in the North Dakota House of Representatives has announced her bid to fill a soon-to-be-open state Senate seat.

Rep. Claire Cory, a Republican from Grand Forks, hopes to win the seat that will be vacated by Republican Sen. Curt Kreun, who has announced he will not run again.

"In light of term limits and the high number of senate vacancies, I have decided to run for District 42's state Senate seat and continue to legislate for my constituents and neighbors," Cory said in an announcement sent to the Herald on Monday morning, Feb. 26.

She first earned her spot in the House by appointment in 2019, followed by an election win in 2020. She serves as vice-chair of the Juvenile Justice Interim Committee and is a member of the Judiciary Interim Committee as well as the Higher Education Interim Committees. During the session, she served on the Judiciary Committee, Political Subdivisions Committee and Government & Veterans Affairs Committee.

The lifelong resident of District 42 earned a bachelor's degree in public administration from UND. She previously worked in public health for the city and now works at 322 Hospitality as an event coordinator. She volunteers for the Bruce Spicer Memorial and as a Special Olympics volleyball coach.

Her announcement notes that as a House member in 2023, "Cory helped pass the largest tax cut in state history, which was $515 million of income and property tax relief. She has sponsored bills that support our military and veterans, helped families with the cost of nonpublic education, provided tax relief to mobile home residents, and changed voting requirements to allow students to vote locally in elections."

If she's elected to the Senate, she plans to "address state workforce challenges, lower taxes, fund Grand Forks infrastructure, combat the fentanyl epidemic and discuss mental health issues."