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Ex-Miss America Mund qualifies as ND congressional candidate

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Former Miss America Cara Mund has qualified to appear on the November ballot as an independent candidate for North Dakota's sole U.S. House seat, the secretary of state’s office announced Friday.
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FILE - Miss America 2018 Cara Mund poses for photographers on the 86th Floor Observation Deck of the Empire State Building in New York, Sept. 12, 2017. Mund's entry into North Dakota's U.S. House race has led Democrat Mark Haugen to drop out Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022, citing pressure from his own party to step aside. Mund entered the race in August as an independent, citing her support for abortion rights as a major reason. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Former Miss America Cara Mund has qualified to appear on the November ballot as an independent candidate for North Dakota's sole U.S. House seat, the secretary of state’s office announced Friday.

Mund is challenging Republican Rep. Kelly Armstrong, who is seeking a third term. The secretary of state's office said Mund had met the 1,000-signature threshold for listing on the ballot.

Mund entered the race in August and said her support for abortion rights motivated her candidacy. Democrat Mark Haugen announced Sunday that he was quitting the race, citing pressure from some in his own party to make way for Mund.

The secretary of state's office also announced that state Rep. Rick Becker met the signature requirement to be listed on the ballot as an independent challenging U.S. Sen. John Hoeven. Becker, a Bismarck plastic surgeon, narrowly lost the Republican endorsement in April.

Katrina Christiansen, a political newcomer and University of Jamestown engineering professor, is the Democrat in the race.

The Associated Press