Former Miss America Cara Mund plans to run for Congress

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A former Miss America who gained attention by criticizing the organization near the end of her reign in 2018 is planning to run for Congress in North Dakota as an independent. The Bismarck Tribune reports that Cara Mund announced her candidacy Saturday and said she plans to start gathering the 1,000 signatures she needs to get on the ballot. If Mund succeeds, she will face incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong and Democrat Mark Haugen in November. Mund generated headlines by saying in 2018 that she had been bullied and silenced by leaders within the Miss America organization. Mund has said that her time as Miss America inspired her to be involved in public service.