WASHINGTON – Former Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) predicts that incumbent Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D) will be re-elected in what many pundits regard as one of the most competitive races of the year.

“The Senate race will be competitive, but I think Heidi Heitkamp is going to win the race,” Dorgan told TMN. “The people in North Dakota know, like and trust her. That is very important in a state like North Dakota. It is retail politics.”

Heitkamp, a moderate who is well respected on both sides of the aisle, likely will face Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer in the general election. Cramer has represented North Dakota’s at-large congressional district since 2013 and is supported by President Donald Trump.

Trump carried North Dakota by about 36 points in the 2016 election.

Dorgan said presidential tallies often do not mirror other contests in the state. Dorgan referenced his 1980 election to Congress in which he received 57 percent of the vote. That year Ronald Reagan won the presidency in a landslide and was supported by 64 percent of North Dakota voters.

Dorgan said Trump’s endorsement of Cramer “could have a bit of an impact, but not much.” Dorgan said the endorsement “means that Cramer will have to live with and defend what Trump is doing and saying.” Dorgan went on to explain: “That’s a big burden to carry, even in North Dakota.”

The race could determine which party controls the Senate next year.

Republicans occupy 51 seats. Democrats control 49 seats.

A spokesperson for Cramer did not respond by deadline.

This article is republished with permission from Talk Media News



