Mercer County resident Stacie Kruckenberg has been endorsed by the Democratic-NPL Party for representative in District 33 of the state legislature at the party’s Region 6 District Convention in Bismarck.
“With encouragement from my neighbors, friends, and relatives, I am running for office to be of service to District 33 as someone who gives voice to the needs and concerns of working families, retirees, and everyday North Dakotans,” Kruckenberg said. She added that she also wants influence in how the Legacy Fund is used, and that voters in District 33 deserve a representative focused on issues that truly matter: funding school lunches, protecting farmland and water rights, protecting and maintaining state parks, and standing against corporate farming and AI data center overreach.
Kruckenberg’s connection to District 33 runs in the family: her father, Leslie Gullickson, was elected to the same seat she is now running for in the same district.
She also has deep roots in North Dakota, having lived in the state her entire life, including in Carson, New Salem, and Mandan, before moving to Hazen in 1984 where she still resides.
Kruckenberg was the sole proprietor of Pretty Petals Flower Shop in Hazen from 1997 to 2020, serving the community for over two decades. Her professional background also includes work at Interstate Western Wear in Mandan and completion of a floral design program in Minneapolis.
A tireless community volunteer, Kruckenberg has served in many facets of civic life in the Oliver and Mercer County areas. She is the president of the Hazen Art and Craft Association and served as chairperson of the Hazen Holiday Bazaar for 35 years. She has been an active member of the Hazen Chamber of Commerce and Hazen Retail Trades from 1994 to 2020. She also served as a volunteer for the Hazen Public Library and for the State Historical Society, and served on the Knife River Care Center Advisory Board during the construction of its new facility. She has also been a volunteer for the Mercer County Fair and Oliver County Fair and Mercer County Museum.
“The people of this area have provided so much personal fulfilment in my life,” Kruckenberg said. “I’ve enjoyed spending so much of my life showing up for events, for neighbors, and for causes that matter. Running for District 33 is the next step in that same commitment.”
Kruckenberg is married to Robert Kruckenberg and has two adult sons, Reuben and Ryan Ternes, and three grandchildren.