Former North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp's path to the Capitol wasn't paved in gold.

In fact, Heitkamp said growing up in rural North Dakota, her family faced many financial challenges.

"We talked about money all the time and how there wasn't enough of it," she told CNBC.

She said the first thing she ever paid for on her own was probably a school lunch. "We shared that family responsibility for a budget."