Claire Cory

Claire Cory
Cory at a Turning Point USA event in 2021
Member of the North Dakota Senate
from the 42nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 1, 2024
Preceded byCurt Kreun
Member of the North Dakota House of Representatives
from the 42rd district
In office
October 11, 2019 – December 1, 2024
Serving with Emily O'Brien
Preceded byJake Blum
Succeeded byDoug Osowski
Personal details
Born (1998-09-11) September 11, 1998 (age 28)
Grand Forks, North Dakota, U.S.
PartyRepublican
EducationUniversity of North Dakota (BS)

Claire Cory (born September 11, 1998) is an American politician serving as a member of the North Dakota Senate from the 42nd district. She assumed office on December 2, 2024, succeeding Curt Kreun. Cory previously served as a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives for District 42 from 2019 to 2024.

Early life and education

Cory was born on September 11, 1998, in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She graduated from Grand Forks Central High School, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in public administration and political science from the University of North Dakota.

Career

In 2018, Cory worked as an intern for the North Dakota Republican Party and United States Senate. She also volunteered on Kevin Cramer's re-election campaign. She was also an election worker for Grand Forks County, North Dakota. Cory was selected to succeed Jake Blum in the North Dakota House of Representatives in October 2019. Cory assumed her office on October 11, 2019, and was subsequently elected in November 2020. She is the youngest female ever elected to the legislature in the state of North Dakota.[citation needed]

In August 2021, Cory created a Change.org petition demanding that the University of North Dakota remove its policy on face masks amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

In August 2022, Cory was revealed to be a member of a Telegram group called the North Dakota Young Republicans which "frequently featured bigoted slurs and white supremacist tropes" in its messages between members, including personal attacks against gay public figures, such as House member Joshua Boschee, as well as anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Despite claiming she had the group muted and did not read the messages, she was shown to have posted messages in the group. "The statements in question do not represent my values or those of my district," said Cory. "Representative Boschee is a legislator who serves his district admirably, and while I disagree with him politically, his sexuality should not be used as a personal attack."

On February 26, 2024, Cory announced a campaign for the District 42 North Dakota Senate seat being vacated by Curt Kreun. Cory would go on to win the primary and secure the Republican nomination for the seat in June, before winning the seat over Democratic challenger Rodney Gigstad in November.

Cory was arrested and charged with driving under the influence (DUI) on May 7, 2024, with a reported blood alcohol content of 0.186%. She initially pled not guilty, but later plead guilty to an amended charge of reckless driving on July 2, 2024. Despite her BAC being over twice the legal limit in North Dakota, she was not charged with aggravated DUI – which comes with a mandatory jail sentence under state law – since she was charged at the municipal level. Cory was fined $901 and given a suspended sentence of 12 days in jail.

In the body cam footage of her arrest, the police officer said: "North Dakota and North Dakotans don't really put that much of a stigma on DUIs," to which Cory replied: "Yeah, but I'm an elected official".

References

  1. ↑ "Legislative Action Center". app7.vocusgr.com.
  2. ↑ Griffin, Kelley (October 3, 2022). "Ready for the World: 8 of the Nation's Youngest State Lawmakers". National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  3. ↑ Wenzel, Korrie (12 October 2019). "District 42 selects Claire Cory to fill vacant House spot". Grand Forks Herald. Archived from the original on 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2021-08-24.[failed verification]
  4. ↑ Kautzman, Alex (8 February 2021). "Despite contentiousness, young North Dakotans continue to engage in politics". Grand Forks Herald. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  5. ↑ "Claire Cory". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  6. ↑ Mook, Sydney (30 January 2021). "New Grand Forks legislators Claire Cory and Zachary Ista adjust to life in Bismarck". Grand Forks Herald. Archived from the original on 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  7. ↑ "Petition launched to remove UND's mask mandate". news.yahoo.com. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  8. 1 2 3 Port, Rob (August 19, 2022). "Republican message group posted slurs while candidates, activists, and elected officials looked on". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved September 9, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ↑ "Rep. Claire Cory announces bid for North Dakota Senate". Grand Forks Herald. 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  10. ↑ "Claire Cory takes District 42 Republican Senate primary; Osowski, O'Brien win in House primary". Grand Forks Herald. 2024-06-12. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  11. ↑ "Cory and Meyer win Grand Forks Senate seats; Vetter and O'Brien retain House positions". Grand Forks Herald. 2024-11-06. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  12. ↑ Kelly, Sav (2024-05-07). "Grand Forks state Rep. Claire Cory charged with driving under the influence". InForum. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  13. 1 2 3 Kelly, Sav (2024-07-10). "Grand Forks Rep. Claire Cory pleads guilty to reckless driving". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  14. ↑ "Grand Forks Rep. Claire Cory's DUI arraignment canceled". Grand Forks Herald. 2024-05-21. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  15. 1 2 Port, Rob (July 17, 2024). "Port: Rep. Claire Cory's DUI arrest video raises some interesting questions". InForum. Retrieved June 23, 2026.