Open Governor’s Race Could Lure Heidi Heitkamp Home to North Dakota

[brooklynite]

Roll Call:

The announcement Monday by North Dakota’s popular Republican governor, Jack Dalrymple, that he will not seek re-election in 2016 might be enough to lure one of the state’s senators home from Washington.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., had begun to mull the possibility of a second run for the job well before Dalrymple’s announcement, and the possibility of her candidacy was talked up by leaders at the Democratic Governors Association in February.

A spokeswoman for Heitkamp, the 59-year-old freshman senator who won her seat in 2012 by fewer than 3,000 votes, was non-committal when asked how Dalrymple’s exit might impact her thinking.

“Senator Heitkamp is focused on her work to fight for North Dakotans in the U.S. Senate,” said Abigail McDonough, Heitkamp’s communications director. “She hasn’t made a decision.”

Heitkamp is off my Senate support list because of her vote on gun background checks, but I'd be happy to support a Statehouse run.

[-none]

1. I hope she does go back to North Dakota.

She can do less damage to the country, as a ND governor, than as a Senator. A lot of people, me included, didn't know how much of a Blue Dog she actually was, till she became a Senator.

[brooklynite]

2. That said, do you have a more progressive Democrat in mind who can win the ND Senate seat?

[-none]

3. Not really.

I don't live in North Dakota anymore and neither do any of my kids, so I haven't been paying that much attention the past few years.
The politics in Missouri and worse, Kansas is wild-eyed enough to keep my attention. At least the elections in North Dakota seems to be reasonably honest, unlike down here.

[JI7]

4. less damage than a republican ?

At least she would be a vote for dem control of senate

[-none]

5. That's about it.

She was good at being Secretary of State, had to drop out of a run for governor for health reasons. But until she was elected Senator, I had no idea how far to the Right she really was.

[JI7]

6. and that counts for a lot since dems have more control

Over things that come up for a vote. And dem control means dems chair committees.

You didn't know how conservative north Dakota was ?

[-none]

7. Yes I do know.

Heidi was popular because she was known to go to bat for the average North Dakodan. Many of her votes in the Senate were therefore a surprise.

[JI7]

8. many republicans do good things for their constituents also

It doesn't have much to do with political ideology.

[-none]

9. Maybe not back then, but it seems to be a lot about ideology now.

And is getting worse.