In North-Dakotas upcoming election‚ Kelly Armstrong - the states only house representative seeks to keep the governors seat in republican hands (a tradition thats been going strong since the early-90s)
The tuesday vote puts Armstrong against democrat Merrill Piepkorn and independent Michael Coachman in a state where GOP support runs deep; this follows Armstrongs win in last summers primary against Lt Gov Tammy Miller
The political landscape in this mid-western state shows clear patterns: republicans have controlled the governors office for more than three decades - making the GOP primary winner a near-certain pick for the states top job. The strong conservative majority in North-Dakota means whoever wins the republican nomination typically cruises through the general election with ease