Cara Mund, 30, who was crowned Miss America in 2018, announced her candidacy for North Dakota's single House seat in 2024 on Monday. With Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) pursuing a gubernatorial run in his state, Mund is making her second attempt to secure the at-large House seat.
In the 2022 election, Mund made an unsuccessful independent bid for Armstrong's congressional seat, losing to the incumbent by 24.6 percent. In the previous election, she campaigned on abortion rights, citing her motivation to enter the race as stemming from the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision in the Supreme Court, which overturned Roe v. Wade and removed federal protections for abortion.
Beauty With Brain
The millennial candidate quoted Taylor Swift's lyrics in announcing her bid for the U.S. House in 2024, writing, "'Are you ready for it? U.S. House 2024... let's go, North Dakota!'" in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Mund said that she has filed the necessary paperwork with the North Dakota Secretary of State's office and is awaiting verification to ensure she is on the June primary ballot.
If successful in 2024, Mund would become the first woman to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Mund told reporters on Monday that she advocates for limited government and reaffirmed her pro-choice stance by saying, "I don't think that they should be controlling women."
She also mentioned having many similar views to her opponents in the race, such as securing the southern border.
However, when asked about her support for former President Donald Trump, who many still regard as a kingmaker of the Republican Party, she chose not to directly address the question.
"As a lawyer, I support law and order," Mund said. "If you've been proven guilty, that is a court ruling."
The North Dakota GOP state convention held last week resulted in the Party endorsing Alex Balazs, a veteran and former U.S. State Department employee, for the seat being vacated by Armstrong.
Other GOP candidates include former state Rep. Rick Becker, Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak, and Sharlet Mohr, a candidate with lower recognition.
From Glamor World to Politics
Mund was crowned Miss America 2018 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, becoming the first-ever contestant from North Dakota to win the competition. She advocated for discontinuing the swimsuit competition and was the final Miss America crowned to participate in that segment of the pageant.
"Swimsuits should never equal scholarships," Mund told the AP in June 2018. "I believe that a woman's lifestyle and fitness can be showcased in a way that does not display her in a swimsuit."
"The Miss America Organization is a scholarship program," she added. "No woman should ever feel like her physical appearance limits her from seeking out these scholarship opportunities."
Mund attended Brown University for her undergraduate studies and obtained a degree in Business. She later graduated from Harvard Law School in May 2022, just three months before launching her first bid for Congress in North Dakota.
Mund plans to launch her policy stances in the upcoming days and is scheduled to speak with North Dakota outlet Your News Leader on Tuesday to discuss her candidacy and platform for this election cycle.
In the 2024 election, Armstrong is vying to fill the seat left vacant by outgoing Governor Doug Burgum, who had been pursuing the Republican presidential nomination. Governor Burgum ended his campaign in December and endorsed Donald Trump.
