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.
Merrill Piepkorn | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Piepkorn in 2010 | |
| Member of the North Dakota Senate from the 44th district | |
| Assumed office December 1, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Flakoll |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 9, 1949 Stanley, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-NPL |
| Spouse | Connie |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Concordia College (BA) North Dakota State University |
| Website | Official website |
In 2024, Piepkorn won the Democratic nomination for governor of North Dakota, and lost to Republican nominee Kelly Armstrong in the general election.
Early life and career
editPiepkorn 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]
Political career
editPiepkorn 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 lost the election to Kelly Armstrong.[16]
Personal life
editPiepkorn and his wife Connie live in Fargo, North Dakota. They have one son and two grandchildren. He is Lutheran.[17]
References
edit- ^ "Merrill Piepkorn". voterly.com. Voterly. 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "Merrill Piepkorn". voterly.com. Voterly. 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ https://demnpl.com/event/merrill-piepkorns-75th-birthday/
- ^ a b "Radio Stars return to Sibyl Hall". Minot Daily News. June 22, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Making a Scene: The voice of North Dakota". InForum. March 30, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Radio Program lets listeners talk". The Bismarck Tribune. July 9, 1999. p. 17. Retrieved April 5, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "PA announcer walks away from RedHawks". InForum. March 20, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ ""Dakota Air" radio broadcast comes to Wishek". The Bismarck Tribune. March 18, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Radio show highlighting communities to start". Jamestown Sun. August 26, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Democrats win in District 44, Republicans take 46, 16". Kfgo.com. November 9, 2016. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ Jurgens, Paul. "Piepkorn, Roers, Roers-Jones, Kasper re-elected to ND legislature". Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Voters in Cass and Clay counties elect 27 state lawmakers". InForum. November 9, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "New legislators, new leadership in N.D. Legislature". North Dakota Living. November 28, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ Hjelmstad, Gretchen (April 2, 2024). "Merrill Piepkorn launches campaign for Governor of North Dakota". KVLY-TV. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Beach, Jeff (April 6, 2024). "Piepkorn has Democrats singing, names Hart as running mate". North Dakota Monitor. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ https://northdakotamonitor.com/2024/11/05/ap-calls-race-for-armstrong-for-north-dakota-governor/
- ^ "Merrill Piepkorn's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
External links
edit
- Merrill for North Dakota campaign website
- Senator Merrill Piepkorn legislative website