Matthew Ruby

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Matthew Ruby
Image of Matthew Ruby

Republican Party

North Dakota House of Representatives District 40
Tenure

2016 - Present

Term ends

2028

Years in position

8

Compensation

Base salary

$592/month

Per diem

$213/day

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Des Lacs High School

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Service / branch

U.S. Army National Guard

Personal
Birthplace
Minot, N.D.
Religion
Catholic
Profession
Military
Contact

Official website

Personal Facebook

Matthew Ruby (Republican Party) is a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives, representing District 40. He assumed office on December 1, 2016. His current term ends on December 1, 2028.

Ruby (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the North Dakota House of Representatives to represent District 40. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Ruby completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Matthew Ruby was born in Minot, North Dakota. He began serving in the United States Army National Guard in 2010. He graduated from Des Lacs High School. Ruby attended Minot State University. He has been affiliated with the Forgotten Warrior Foundation.[1][2]

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Ruby was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Ruby was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Ruby was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

North Dakota committee assignments, 2017
• Education
• Energy and Natural Resources

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: North Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 (2 seats)

Incumbent Matthew Ruby and Macy Bolinske defeated Alexandra Deufel in the general election for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Matthew Ruby
Matthew Ruby (R) Candidate Connection
 
42.2
 
3,211
✔
Image of Macy Bolinske
Macy Bolinske (R)
 
38.4
 
2,918
Image of Alexandra Deufel
Alexandra Deufel (D) Candidate Connection
 
18.9
 
1,441
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.5
 
35

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 7,605
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 (2 seats)

Alexandra Deufel advanced from the Democratic primary for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 on June 11, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Alexandra Deufel
Alexandra Deufel Candidate Connection
 
97.0
 
230
 Other/Write-in votes
 
3.0
 
7

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 237
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 (2 seats)

Incumbent Matthew Ruby and Macy Bolinske advanced from the Republican primary for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 on June 11, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Matthew Ruby
Matthew Ruby Candidate Connection
 
52.1
 
847
✔
Image of Macy Bolinske
Macy Bolinske
 
47.1
 
767
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.8
 
13

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,627
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ruby in this election.

Pledges

Ruby signed the following pledges.

  • U.S. Term Limits

2020

See also: North Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 (2 seats)

Incumbent Matthew Ruby and incumbent Randy Schobinger defeated Kalyn Dewitt and Robert E. Kibler in the general election for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Matthew Ruby
Matthew Ruby (R) Candidate Connection
 
36.2
 
3,224
✔
Image of Randy Schobinger
Randy Schobinger (R)
 
33.1
 
2,948
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Kalyn Dewitt (D)
 
15.9
 
1,413
Image of Robert E. Kibler
Robert E. Kibler (D) Candidate Connection
 
14.7
 
1,314
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
14

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 8,913
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 (2 seats)

Kalyn Dewitt and Robert E. Kibler advanced from the Democratic primary for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Kalyn Dewitt
 
53.6
 
419
✔
Image of Robert E. Kibler
Robert E. Kibler Candidate Connection
 
46.4
 
362

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 781
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 (2 seats)

Incumbent Randy Schobinger and incumbent Matthew Ruby advanced from the Republican primary for North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Randy Schobinger
Randy Schobinger
 
50.2
 
1,243
✔
Image of Matthew Ruby
Matthew Ruby Candidate Connection
 
49.6
 
1,228
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
4

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,475
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: North Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the North Dakota House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 11, 2016. Incumbents Matthew Klein (R) and Robert Frantsvog (R) did not seek re-election.

Matthew Ruby and Randy Schobinger defeated Heidi Rintoul and A.J. Schultz in the North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 general election.[3][4]

North Dakota House of Representatives, District 40 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Matthew Ruby 33.52% 2,546
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Randy Schobinger 35.69% 2,711
     Democratic Heidi Rintoul 14.68% 1,115
     Democratic A.J. Schultz 16.10% 1,223
Total Votes 7,595
Source: North Dakota Secretary of State


Heidi Rintoul and A.J. Schultz were unopposed in the North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 Democratic primary.[5][6]

North Dakota House of Representatives, District 40 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Heidi Rintoul
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png A.J. Schultz


Matthew Ruby and Randy Schobinger were unopposed in the North Dakota House of Representatives District 40 Republican primary.[5][6]

North Dakota House of Representatives, District 40 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Matthew Ruby
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Randy Schobinger

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Matthew Ruby completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ruby's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I was born and raised in Minot. I enlisted into the ND National Guard in 2010 and work full time as a project officer. I am married to my wife Dana and we have 4 children. I also run a a non profit called the Forgotten Warrior Foundation that helps fill the gaps for veterans when the VA can’t help. We focus on PTSD awareness and suicide prevention.
  • Pro 2A in its purist form.
  • Pro life including support for prenatal care and streamlined adoption options.
  • Liberty for all. If you are an adult I don’t care what you do in your home if it’s not affecting other people’s personal lives. But I will fight to protect kids from extremist agendas.
Mental health/suicide prevention.

Lowering taxes.
Common sense business practices.

Landowner and hunter rights.
My parents. They worked very hard to provide for my 9 siblings and I. They lived within their means and never asked the government for help.
Availability to constituents.

Willingness to listen to concerns.

I don’t care what your principles are, but you should have something and stick to is am much as you can.
I can get a long with anyone. I thank the military for that trait.
I don’t let emotion drive my decisions.
Good stewardship of public fund.
Willingness to work on a solution while understanding that more government isn’t usually the best answer.
I want to be remembered as someone who could disagree with you without being disagreeable and someone who worked hard for the people of my district.
9/11. I was 9.
I was a garbage man at my family company from 7th grade until I was a junior in high school.
All Things Great and Small by James Harriet.
It reads like a buddy telling you a funny story about his day as a country vet. Wholesome and very detailed.
Aragorn
This song’s gonna get stuck inside your head. -Lego Movie 2
Like many young adults I struggled with what my priorities in life were. Once I met my wife, things cleared up and I focused on providing a good life for my family. I have struggled at times to pay bills in the economies of the last decade, but buckling down and picking up extra jobs we were able to push through.
The legislature is the policy makers and decide how the funding is spent. While I believe they should work together to identify priorities, the legislature is filled with people who have a better pulse on what the people want to see.
Addressing the workforce shortage and lowering taxes have to be top priorities for the next couple sessions.
It can help understand issues specific to lower level governments but it’s not necessary. Private sector experience offers great insight as well.
It is absolutely crucial. Getting to know other legislators helps you understand where they are coming from on issues. It also helps for when you are discussing more sensitive topics so others know you are making personal attacks but explaining your beliefs o you can have a holistic conversation.
My dad. I’ve been told time and time again that you might not always agree with him but you can always expect a respectful conversation. He’s the most principled person I know.
Potentially
I’ve heard a good number of stories about different agencies over stepping their means, and that has made me think twice before ever expanding executive authority.
While pulling into Reptile Gardens my oldest son asked “are there reptiles here?”
To which my wife replied with “nope just gardens.”
Since we are part time legislators, it would likely be infeasible for us to call a session to grant emergency powers. Sometimes measures need to be taken sooner and when we get a chance to convene, then we can reassess what emergency powers are allotted to the governor. That’s a part of the checks and balances.
Executive position salary resets to a base level when someone new is appointed or elected. You shouldn’t get a pay raise based on your predecessors last year.
North Dakota Farm Bureau

NRA

District 40 Republicans
I am currently the vice chairman of Human Services and I also serve on Energy and Natural Resources
Making it it to understand funding sources and track where and how dollars are spent should be a priority. They are tax dollars and the tax payers should be able to see how funding works.
I think measures should have to be placed on general elections so it maximizes the number of people who vote on it.
I believe changes to the constitution should require a 2/3 vote instead of a simple majority due to love voter turnout.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Candidate Connection

Matthew Ruby completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ruby's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

"Through my time as a student at MSU, a soldier with the ND National Guard, a member of the workforce, and my experience as the District 40 Representative I have worked to understand the many issues facing North Dakotans and business owners. I have spent my time in the Legislature looking for ways to make services more readily available for those actually in need, cut red tape to help businesses thrive, and protect personal liberties free from governmental overreach. I hope to continue this work in the difficult times we find ourselves in. Budgets will need to be scrutinized and outside of the box thinking will be essential to help the state pull through the downturn in revenues while continuing the high level of services being provided"

• Born and raised in Minot, ND- 1992 • Staff Sergeant in the ND Army National Guard- 10 years o Military Funeral Honors Team Member • Director of the Forgotten Warrior Foundation • Employed at Circle Sanitation • ND House of Representatives- Since 2016 o Served on Human Services, Education, and Energy and Natural Resources Committees • American Conservative Union o "Excellence Award"-2017, "Achievement Award"-2019 • Attended MSU- History • Member of American Legion • Member of St. John Apostle Catholic Church • Member of Apathy Original MC • Wife Dana and three children: Emaree, Noah, Nash

  • We need to start budgeting on needs instead of wants.
  • Taking care of the taxpayer and creating opportunities to use Legacy dollars to assist local subdivisions with large projects.
  • Cutting red tape for ND business owners to thrive
Veteran Affairs

Mental Health Needs

Personal Liberties
The easy answer is my dad, Dan Ruby, who is also in the ND House. He is principled, but he is willing to listen to anyone's side and work with you to find a solution. Even people who are opposite side of the political spectrum have told me how much they enjoy working with him and how much they respect him.
Love Your Enemies by Arthur C. Brooks

Liberty and Freedom: A Visual History of America's Founding Ideas by David Hackett Fischer
First you have to BE principled. Know what you stand for and live by it. I think being personable and approachable are essential characteristics to have. Being mindful of personal Liberties is important and understanding property rights and the role of government.
I am willing to work with anyone and listen to any idea to find the best possible solution that helps the most people.
You have to listen to everyone in your district whether they voted for you or not. Still vote the way you feel is right but listen to all sides before determining where you stand especially on issues that aren't your forte.
A government willing to put aside politics to help those truly in need and to enable others to take care of themselves free of overburden.
9/11. I was in 4th grade and I remember the teacher coming in and telling us the news and explaining what the Trade Centers were and turning on coverage until our parents came and got us from school.
I started on a garbage route at 12 years old for my families company and continued working there through high school.
The Firm by John Grisham. I love the legal issues mixed with the every day stuff. Grisham has a way of making you feel like you are a side character watching the story unfold.

Lincoln and his Generals by T Harry Williams. This book was the first I was assigned by a former CO of mine and it helped shape my leadership style to be decisive and realistic and to do what I said I would do.
Jack Reacher. Another character that is very principled and methodical in everything he does.
Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi
Saying no when I have a lot on my plate. I like to help people and be the person someone comes to to solve an issue.
There is more outside the box thinking in the the ND House due to the more people. Also, while Republicans hold the majority, the party is much more divided in the House than the Senate with progressive, establishment, and liberty minded Republicans all sharing ideas.
It can be beneficial to know how things work on a local level, but its also a good thing to have new thinkers added to the mix.
We have an abundance of resources and funds that are growing quite large. I think we need to look at ways to help lessen the tax burden on the people by keeping our state budget low, but creating a process for subdivisions to apply for loan interest loans for large projects normally funded by property tax.
The governor should work with the legislature in the goal setting stage, but leave the details to the legislators.
Absolutely. That's the only way to understand someone's thought process or reasoning when its different than yours.
I prefer finding lines that make sense. Primary roads and rivers that divide populated areas into districts with similar numbers. ND doesn't have voter registration so we have no way of knowing which way the vote learns in a particular area.
Human Services is the largest budget, and the most diverse committee we have. It affects every district, county, and city in a big way. Its not overly exciting but its incredibly important work that I really enjoy diving into and learning more about. I also sit on Energy and Natural Resources which is important to our state with oil, wind and coal making up a big portion of our economy. We also deal with Game and Fish issues which is very important to the people of ND as well.
I would like to start as Caucus Chairman. Its traditionally a rotation among first and second term legislators and it gives you an opportunity to show others what you bring to the table as a leader and help strengthen the party.
Davy Crockett. He was a very principled statesman who stood against putting Native Americans on reservations even though he knew it would cost him his seat. I admire that because you should never be more afraid of losing your position than doing what is morally right.
Yes.
I often hear from business owners about over burden from bureaucrats in the executive branch handing down contradicting rules that stifle their businesses.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Matthew Ruby campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* North Dakota House of Representatives District 40Won general$13,950 $0
2020North Dakota House of Representatives District 40Won general$12,416 N/A**
2016North Dakota House of Representatives, District 40Won $3,050 N/A**
Grand total$29,416 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in North Dakota

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of North Dakota scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.


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2016






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External links

Officeholder

North Dakota House of Representatives District 40
  • Website
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    Personal

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 18, 2024
    2. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 27, 2020
    3. ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Contest/Candidate List," accessed August 21, 2016
    4. ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Results General Election - November 8, 2016," accessed November 28, 2016
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 North Dakota Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Contest/Candidate List," accessed April 13, 2016
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 North Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Results Primary Election - June 14, 2016," accessed August 2, 2016


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