Trygve Hammer

Trygve Hammer is the Democratic nominee for North Dakota's at-large House seat. A U.S. Naval Academy graduate and Marine Corps veteran who grew up in Velva, he worked as an airline pilot, defense contractor, and security consultant and now writes a newsletter. He has run unsuccessfully for the state House, the Public Service Commission, and this seat, and says he is running to restore Congress's constitutional powers over war, tariffs, and spending.[1][2]

Hammer says he grew up in Velva, North Dakota, and graduated from Velva High School.[1][2] He says he enlisted in the Navy as a nuclear power machinist's mate before earning an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, from which he received a bachelor's degree in 1990.[1][2] He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserve until 2010, including as a helicopter pilot, forward air controller, military attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, and instructor, and says he flew CH-53D helicopters and led an infantry unit in Iraq in 2003.[1][2]

Hammer's later work included stints as an airline pilot, defense contractor, and security consultant, and then as a writer and teacher; he says he writes a newsletter called Punching Up.[1][2]

Hammer ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for North Dakota House District 6 in 2020, finishing third in a two-seat race, and for the North Dakota Public Service Commission in 2022, receiving 29.5% against Republican incumbent Sheri Haugen-Hoffart.[1] He was the Democratic nominee for the at-large U.S. House seat in 2024, losing to Julie Fedorchak with 30.4% of the vote, and won the 2026 Democratic primary with 99.8% of the vote.[1]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.