< p>FARGO, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Rep.-elect Kevin Cramer has announced his first round of staff hires for his congressional offices in Washington and North Dakota.

Cramer will be sworn in Thursday to begin his term in the U.S. House.

The Forum newspaper reports (http://bit.ly/WbD3F9 ) that Cramer's chief of staff will be Kim Badenhop, who previously worked in the George W. Bush administration in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the offices of Homeland Security and National Security. She also previously worked for Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

The congressman's legislative director and counsel will be Mark Gruman, who previously worked for the North Dakota Public Service Commission, where he was a policy adviser to Cramer.

Lisa Gibbens, state's attorney for Rolette County, will be Cramer's state director in North Dakota.

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Information from: The Forum, http://www.in-forum.com