Kevin Cramer is a Republican member of the United States Senate from the State of North Dakota. He previously held the state's lone seat in the United States House of Representatives.
Recently, Cramer was with his family at his property in Bismarck. The Jamestown Sun reports that he was planning to swim with his grandchildren when he suffered a serious accident.
Kevin Cramer may need to have two fingers amputated
The pinkie and ring finger on Cramer's right hand sustained significant injuries after a rock rolled onto it. He said that the rock seemed loose, and he was trying to move it, a decision that backfired on him.
There have still been hopes that amputation would not be necessary. Part of Cramer's pinkie finger that had been torn off in the accident was surgically re-attached at a nearby hospital. Something that would obviously not be in order if it weren't considered possible to save the finger.
According to Business Insider, there remains "a high risk of infection." Something that could ultimately be the deciding factor as to whether or not an amputation occurs. There were initially reports that Kevin Cramer's entire right hand could be removed. But a spokeswoman later indicated that only the two fingers were currently thought to be at risk.
Cramer is right-handed. The injury will likely impact actions such as typing and signature-writing.
But he seems to believe his injuries shouldn't have too much of an impact on his work.
Should it eventually come to it, Kevin Cramer would not be the first amputee to serve in the United States Congress. There are at least three currently serving. Democratic Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Republican Florida Representative Brian Mast lost limbs while serving in the military.
Democratic Montana Senator Jon Tester lost three fingers during his childhood from a meat grinding accident.
Kevin Cramer was elected to the Senate in 2018
Kevin Cramer is a native of Rolette in northern North Dakota. He later graduated from high school in Kindred in the state's eastern region. Later, he received a bachelor's degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.
Followed by a master's degree from the University of Mary in Bismarck.
Cramer became active in campaigning during the 1984 election cycle. Two years later, he was a campaigner for U.S. Senator Mark Andrews' unsuccessful re-election bid. Starting in 1991, Cramer served as chairman of the North Dakota chapter of the Republican party. In 1993, Governor and future U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer appointed him as the state's tourism director. Later, Cramer was named economic development director.
In 1996 and 1998, Cramer unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, losing to Democratic incumbent Earl Pomeroy both times. Governor and fellow future U.S. Senator John Hoeven appointed Cramer to the North Dakota Public Service Commission in 2003.
Nine years later, Cramer ran again for the U.S. House of Representatives. Incumbent Republican Rick Berg was not a candidate for re-election. Instead, running, ultimately unsuccessfully, for the U.S. Senate. This time, Cramer would prevail and win North Dakota's U.S. House seat. He was re-elected to the House twice.
In 2018, Cramer was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Democratic incumbent Heidi Heitkamp. Cramer has garnered the reputation of being one of the Senate's most conservative members.
