Ex-Miss America adds intrigue to North Dakota House race

By JAMES MacPHERSON
Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Republican Rep. Kelly Armstrong hopes to claim a third term for North Dakota’s sole U.S. House seat on Tuesday in a race that was upended by the late entry of former Miss America Cara Mund. Armstrong ran unopposed in the June Republican primary and was poised for an easy win in the highly conservative state against a little-known Democrat. Then, Mund entered the race in August as an independent, citing her support for abortion rights following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. The Democratic candidate, who opposes abortion rights, soon dropped out, citing pressure from his own party. That cleared the field for Mund, who has run her race on a shoestring budget.