North Dakota Senate He was first elected in 2012 to the
North Dakota Senate after defeating incumbent
Gerald Uglem in the primaries, followed by the general election against
Dem-NPL candidate Julius Wangler. Campbell would be reelected in 2014. During the 2013 session, Campbell was a member of the Finance and Taxation, and Transportation committees before the 2015 and 2017 sessions in which he became the vice chairman for the Industry, Business, and Labor committee. After his term, the
Democratic-NPL Party began criticising him over “not accomplishing anything” and his failed runs for national office.
2018 congressional election In August 2017, Campbell announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate seat then held by Democrat
Heidi Heitkamp. However, Campbell withdrew from the race following the entry of fellow Republican
Kevin Cramer into the race, endorsing his campaign. And in February 2018, Campbell declared his candidacy for the
congressional seat to be vacated by Cramer as he ran for the senate. Campbell did not receive the endorsement of the
North Dakota Republican Party at the state party convention in April 2018, losing to fellow state Senator,
Kelly Armstrong. Following his defeat at the convention, Campbell announced his intention to continue his campaign to the primary election in June 2018. But on April 11, 2018, Campbell withdrew his candidacy from the primary race.
2024 congressional election In June 2023, the
Inforum reported Campbell as a possible contender to run for Governor in the event of incumbent
Doug Burgum not running for re-election on account of his
presidential campaign in 2024. In January 2024, Campbell stated he had an interest in running for Governor and outlined key issues he would run off, which included
mental health,
homelessness, and property taxes. Later, in an interview he stated if he were to run he would also focus on and address workforce shortages in Education, Law, and Medicine. However, on January 29, Campbell announced his candidacy in the
2024 United States House of Representatives election in North Dakota. Bypassing a second fight with
Kelly Armstrong once he announced his run for the governorship. Campbell later announced he would tour and speak with voters in
towns with more than 100 people. Campbell faced considerable attack and opposition from other candidates in the race, former state representative
Rick Becker, public service commissioner
Julie Fedorchak, and farmer Alex Balazs. On March 13, Campbell announced he would not attend the
NDGOP endorsement convention in April, instead choosing to go to the primary. Campbell also claimed that the Fedorchak campaign threatened him, the campaign denied the allegations. And on March 27, Campbell announced he was suspending his campaign. Citing that he wouldn't run a “negative campaign.”
United States Department of Agriculture On May 2, 2025, the
United States Department of Agriculture under the
Second Trump administration announced that Campbell had been selected to operate the
USDA Rural Development North Dakotan branch. After his appointment, Campbell stated ″The mission of Rural Development is vital to our communities, and I am eager to connect with the leaders and stakeholders throughout our great state.″ In an interview a month into his tenure, Campbell stated he was enjoying the job, specifically outlining his staff and a visit to a Rural Development funded
daycare in
Park River, North Dakota. ==Personal life==