A month after taking a pass, North Dakota Rep. Kevin Cramer changed his mind and entered the Senate race against first-term Democrat Heidi Heitkamp, giving the GOP a well-known candidate in a potentially pivotal race for control of the Senate. Political handicappers rate the race as a toss-up because President Trump carried the state in a landslide in 2016 but Heitkamp, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is a tenacious and well-funded campaigner.
Cramer initially resisted encouragement by Trump and Senate leaders to enter the race. The former economic development official is in his third term as North Dakota’s statewide U.S. representative. Roll Call newspaper quoted a Democratic research firm as saying Cramer was a lackluster fundraiser and known for incendiary statements. Roll Call said Cramer has a $1 million campaign fund, compared to Heitkamp’s $4.5 million.
The political site Sabato’s Crystal Ball lists North Dakota as one of six states with toss-up Senate races this year. One of them involves first-term Democrat Joe Donnelly, also a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Eight of the 10 Democrats on Senate Ag face reelection this year, but only one Republican, Deb Fischer of Nebraska. Donnelly and Heitkamp were influential moderate voices in passage of the GMO labeling law in 2016.
Cramer’s campaign site is available here.