Randel Christmann is a Republican politician from

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

. He represented the 33rd district in the North Dakota Senate from 1995 to 2013.Senate biography
The Bismarck Tribune biography
/ref>Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Dallas Regional Chamber
/ref> In 2012, he was elected to the North Dakota Public Service Commission, as one of three members elected statewide.

Biography

Randel Christmann was born on June 16, 1960 in

Hazen, North Dakota Hazen is a city in Mercer County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,281 at the 2020 census. Hazen was founded in 1913. Hazen has a K–12 school system. It is located about fifteen minutes south of Lake Sakakawea, the largest l ...

. He graduated from Hazen High School and attended North Dakota State University where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1982. A rancher, he served in the

North Dakota Army National Guard The North Dakota Army National Guard (ND ARNG) is headquartered at the Fraine Barracks in Bismarck, North Dakota, and consists of the 68th Troop Command, headquartered in Bismarck, and the 141st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, headquartered in Fargo ...

from 1977 to 1983. Randy was elected to the North Dakota Senate in 1994 when he upset a long-time incumbent Democrat committee chairman, helping Republicans achieve majority status in the North Dakota Senate. He initially focused mostly on energy, taxation, and natural resources issues. Former Governor Ed Schafer appointed Randy to serve as one of the two legislative appointees on the Lignite Research Council. He has continued to serve in this position under then-Governor John Hoeven and former Governor Jack Dalrymple and is currently Vice-Chairman of the Lignite Research Council. In 1999 the members of West River Telecommunications (WRT) elected Randy to serve on its board of directors. During his 13 years on the board, WRT nearly doubled in size, growing into a $100 million company with more than 70 employees. WRT provides telephone and broadband service to part or all of 17 counties in North and South Dakota. West River is also a leader in the development of cellular service in North Dakota as a major partner with Verizon Wireless. Following the statewide general election in 2000, Senate Republicans chose Randy to serve as their Assistant Majority Leader. He had been re-elected to this post every two years thereafter, making him one of North Dakota’s longest serving legislative leaders in recent memory. He also served on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Christmann is a member of the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

, the

American Farm Bureau Federation The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), also known as Farm Bureau Insurance and Farm Bureau Inc. but more commonly just the Farm Bureau (FB), is a United States-based insurance company and lobbying group that represents the American agri ...

, the North Dakota Stockmen's Association. In 2007, he received the Public Service Award from the

North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Association North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 ra ...

. In 2016, the Lignite Energy Council presented him with the Distinguished Service Award for a Regulatory Program. He is married to Bethanie Christmann. They live in Bismarck, but continue to spend weekends on the ranch near Hazen.

References

External links

Official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmann, Randel 1960 births Living people Republican Party North Dakota state senators Northern State University alumni People from Mercer County, North Dakota