Thu, Nov 2nd, 2023 - 3:38pm
March 08, 2022 - 6:54am | By Kyle Cornell
(Bismarck, ND) -- North Dakota's longest-serving lawmaker in consecutive terms is leaving the state Legislature.
Senator Ray Holmberg announced Monday that he will retire at the end of this term. Governor Doug Burgum called Holmberg a "dedicated advocate for the citizens of District 17 and all North Dakotans."
“Senator Ray Holmberg is a legend. He has long been Grand Fork's number one cheerleader in the legislature, replacing Earl Strinden," said U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer. "He is both thoughtful and tenacious in his work on behalf of the Grand Forks region. He has the rare ability to amass friends while amassing power. It's hard to drive around Grand Forks and not see Ray's beneficial influence in the institutions surrounding the city.”
Cramer was joined by fellow Senator John Hoeven praising Holmberg's leadership.
“Through more than four decades of service and leadership, Senator Holmberg has left his mark on Grand Forks and North Dakota, and we are better for it. In particular, he leveraged his role on the Senate Appropriations Committee to strengthen our institutions of higher education to benefit students and the broader economy, while also working to help our state overcome a variety of challenges, seize new opportunities for growth and improve our quality of life," said Hoeven. "I appreciate the many opportunities I’ve had to work with him to ensure a more prosperous future for North Dakotans, and I join with the residents of Grand Forks and our whole state in thanking him for his dedicated service. Mikey and I wish him and the entire Holmberg family the best.”
Holmberg has served in the North Dakota Senate since 1976 and has been chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee for the past ten sessions. His tenure is also ties him as the current longest-serving state senator in the nation.
