Heidi Heitkamp | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2013 | |
| United States Senator fromNorth Dakota | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Kent Conrad |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Cramer |
| 28thAttorney General of North Dakota | |
| In office December 15, 1992 – December 15, 2000 | |
| Governor | Ed Schafer |
| Preceded by | Nicholas Spaeth |
| Succeeded by | Wayne Stenehjem |
| 20thTax Commissioner of North Dakota | |
| In office December 2, 1986 – December 15, 1992 | |
| Governor | George Sinner |
| Preceded by | Kent Conrad |
| Succeeded by | Robert Hanson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mary Kathryn Heitkamp (1955-10-30)October 30, 1955 (age 70) Breckenridge,Minnesota, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic (D-NPL) |
| Spouse | Darwin Lange |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Joel Heitkamp (brother) Jason Heitkamp (cousin) |
| Education | University of North Dakota (BA) Lewis and Clark College (JD) |
Heitkamp questioning witnesses onFEMA grants for volunteer fire departments. Recorded April 12, 2016 | |
Mary Kathryn"Heidi" Heitkamp (/ˈhaɪtkæmp/,HYTE-kamp; born October 30, 1955) is an American politician and lawyer who served as aUnited States senator fromNorth Dakota from 2013 to 2019. A member of theNorth Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party, her 2012 victory made the first woman elected to Congress from North Dakota, where served as the 20thtax commissioner from 1986 to 1992 and as the 28thstate attorney general from 1992 to 2000. As of 2025[update], she is the last Democrat to have won or held statewide office in North Dakota.
Heitkamp ran forgovernor of North Dakota in2000 and lost toRepublicanJohn Hoeven. She considered a bid for the Democratic nomination in the2010 U.S. Senate election to replace the retiringByron Dorgan,[1] but on March 3, 2010, declined to run against Hoeven, who was ultimately elected.[2]
In November 2011, Heitkamp declared her candidacy to replace the retiringKent Conrad as U.S. senator from North Dakota inthe 2012 election.[3] She narrowly defeated Republican CongressmanRick Berg on November 6, 2012, in that year's closest Senate race.[4] Heitkamp was North Dakota's second female senator, afterJocelyn Burdick, and the first woman to be elected to the Senate from the state.[5] On November 6, 2018, Republican congressmanKevin Cramer defeated Heitkamp inher bid for reelection.[6] After leaving the Senate, Heitkamp became a CNBC contributor[7] and visiting fellow at theHarvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics.[8] In April 2019, with SenatorJoe Donnelly ofIndiana (who alsolost reelection in 2018), she launched One Country Project, an organization aimed at helping Democrats reconnect with rural voters.[9][10] In January 2023, Heitkamp became the director of theUniversity of Chicago Institute of Politics[11], serving until November 2025.
Heitkamp was born inBreckenridge, Minnesota, the fourth of seven children of Doreen LaVonne (née Berg), a school cook, and Raymond Bernard Heitkamp, a janitor and construction worker.[12][13] Her father was of German descent, her mother of half Norwegian and half German ancestry.[12] Heitkamp was raised inMantador, North Dakota, attending local public schools. She adopted the nickname "Heidi" in first grade to distinguish herself from two other classmates named Mary and Kathy.[14] She earned aB.A. from theUniversity of North Dakota in 1977 and aJ.D. fromLewis & Clark Law School in 1980.[15]
Heitkamp interned for theUnited States Congress in 1976 and in theNorth Dakota Legislative Assembly in 1977.[13]
In 1980 and 1981, Heitkamp worked as an attorney for theEnvironmental Protection Agency.[16] She next worked as an attorney for North Dakota State Tax CommissionerKent Conrad.[13]
She also became active in politics, joining theNorth Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party. In 1984, Heitkamp ran forstate Auditor and lost to incumbent RepublicanRobert W. Peterson.[13] In 1986,Kent Conrad resigned as tax commissioner after hiselection to the U.S. Senate.North Dakota GovernorGeorge A. Sinner appointed Heitkamp tax commissioner before she ran for the office and was elected with 66% of the vote against Republican Marshall Moore.[17] She served in that position until 1992.
In 1992, the incumbentNorth Dakota attorney general,Nick Spaeth, retired in order to run for governor. Heitkamp ran for attorney general and won with 62% of the vote.[18] She was reelected in 1996 with 64% of the vote.[19]
As attorney general of North Dakota, Heitkamp became known for leading the state's legal efforts to seek damages from tobacco companies, eventually resulting in theTobacco Master Settlement Agreement.[20][21]
In 2000, incumbent Republican governorEd Schafer decided not to seek a third term. Heitkamp ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. On the Republican side,John Hoeven, CEO of theBank of North Dakota, also ran unopposed. During her campaign for governor, it was announced that Heitkamp had been diagnosed withbreast cancer, which later went into remission. Hoeven defeated her, 55% to 45%. Heitkamp won 12 of thestate's 53 counties.[22]
From 2001 to 2012, Heitkamp served as an external director on theDakota Gasification Company's Great Plains synfuels plant's board of directors.[23][24][25] She now serves on the advisory board of theCanadian American Business Council.[26]
Heitkamp's brother,Joel, is a radio talk-show host and former North Dakota state senator. Heitkamp has occasionally filled in as host of his program,News and Views, which is broadcast onKFGO inFargo and other stations in North Dakota.[27][28]
In January 2011, incumbent Democratic U.S. senatorKent Conrad announced he would not seek reelection in 2012.[29] On November 8, 2011, Heitkamp announced that she would seek the open seat.[30] She vowed to be "an independent voice".[31]
Heitkamp won the November 6, 2012, Senate election by 2,936 votes, less than 1% of the ballots cast. Berg conceded the race the next day,[32] though he could have asked for a "demand recount" under North Dakota law.[33]
In 2014,The Daily Beast suggested that Heitkamp might be a presidential contender in 2020, writing that she had come to Washington "personifying traditional values of theOld West: candor, consistency, hard work, and a sense of good faith and fair play."[34]
In December 2016, it was reported that President-electDonald Trump was considering Heitkamp forSecretary of Agriculture.[35] In response, Heitkamp said on the radio that she would likely refuse any such offer. "I'm not saying 'never, never,' but I will tell you that I'm very, very honored to serve the people of North Dakota and I hope that no matter what I do, that will always be my first priority...The job that I have right now is incredibly challenging. I love it."[36] Trump eventually nominated former Georgia governorSonny Perdue for the job.
Heitkamp represented North Dakota in the Senate from January 3, 2013 to January 3, 2019, alongside RepublicanJohn Hoeven, her former opponent in the governor's race.[34]
On September 13, 2017, a day after dining at theWhite House with several other senators and Trump, Heitkamp announced she would seek a second term. She spoke of the importance of legislation regarding infrastructure,tax reform, and energy and farm policy. RepresentativeKevin Cramer won theRepublican primary to challenge Heitkamp.[37]
In October 2018, Heitkamp apologized after her campaign ran a newspaper advertisement that "included names of victims ofdomestic violence,sexual assault orrape without their permission."[38][39][40]
On November 6, 2018, Cramer defeated Heitkamp with 55.4% of the vote, despite raising $22 million less than her.[6]
Heitkamp is a contributor to CNBC. In the2020 presidential election, she was on North Dakota'sDemocratic-NPL elector slate forJoe Biden.[43] Trump won the state's three electoral votes. In 2020, she was named a potential candidate forSecretary of Agriculture in theBiden Administration.[44][45] Biden ultimately choseTom Vilsack, who had previously held the position under PresidentBarack Obama.[46]
In 2021, Heitkamp lobbied against Democratic Party efforts to raise taxes on corporations, large inheritances and the superwealthy to pay for a$3.5 trillion social spending bill.[47] The lobbyistJohn Breaux recruited her to advocate against taxation of large inheritances.[47]
In October 2022, Heitkamp was named director of theInstitute of Politics at theUniversity of Chicago in Chicago, IL, after previously serving there as a Pritzker Fellow.[48] In January 2025, announced she would step down at the end of the year. On October 20, 2025,John Kirby was named as her successor.[49][50]
Heitkamp is a board member forAmerican Edge, a lobbying organization for the technology industry, andNorfolk Southern.[51][52]
Heitkamp has been described as amoderate Democrat.[53][54] She was considered acentrist and often supported bipartisan legislation.[55] TheNational Journal has given her a composite rating of 53% liberal and 47% conservative.[56] TheAmerican Conservative Union gives her a lifetime 13.67% conservative rating.[57] The fiscally conservative groupAmericans for Prosperity gives Heitkamp a lifetime score of 26% and a higher score of 70% in 2016.[58]Americans for Democratic Action, which supports liberal positions, gave her a score of 45% liberal in 2016 and 60% liberal in 2015.[58] According toFiveThirtyEight, Heitkamp voted in line with Trump's positions over 54% of the time.[59][60]Congressional Quarterly published a study finding that she voted with Trump's position 67% of the time.[61] TheAssociated Press found that she voted with his positions more than 68% of the time.[62] In 2018,GovTrack placed Heitkamp near the center of the Senate as the third-most moderate Democrat, to the right of moderate Republican senatorSusan Collins.[63]
In March 2018, Heitkamp co-sponsored theIsrael Anti-Boycott Act (s. 720), which would have made it a federal crime for American contractors to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel andIsraeli settlements in the occupiedPalestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government.[64]
In June 2018,Americans for Prosperity, which is backed by theKoch brothers, ran digital advertisements thanking Heitkamp for her vote to pass legislation loosening financial regulations on banks.[65]
Heitkamp has said that theAffordable Care Act contains "good and bad" elements and that "it needs to be fixed." She criticized her Senate race opponentRick Berg for wanting to repeal the law, citing concerns about insurance companies denying coverage to children with preexisting conditions.[66]
During theUnited States federal government shutdown of 2013, Heitkamp criticized Republican attempts to use theContinuing Appropriations Resolution as "a vehicle to legislate other issues," such as the defunding of theAffordable Care Act and a delay of its individual mandate.[67] She was one of 14 members of the bipartisan Senate group that negotiated the compromise that was the basis of the eventual deal to end the shutdown.[68] During the 2013 government shutdown, Heitkamp donated about $8,000 of her salary to North Dakota charities that support veterans, provide healthcare supplies to those that cannot afford them, and raise breast cancer awareness.[69]
In January 2018, Heitkamp was one of six Democrats to join Republican senators in voting to confirm PresidentDonald Trump's nominee forHealth and Human Services SecretaryAlex Azar.[70]
Heitkamp sought to get the Trump Administration "to get theExport-Import Bank in high gear to help North Dakota's economy."[28]
Heitkamp said she would support abalanced budget amendment to the Constitution "with exceptions" if elected. She said the exceptions would include wartime spending,Social Security,Medicare, and a ban on tax cuts for those making more than $1 million per year.[71]
Heitkamp announced in a 2012 campaign press release that she supports theBuffett Rule. She supports implementing the Buffett Rule via the Paying a Fair Share Act, which would require those making a gross income of $1 million or more to pay at least a 30% federal tax rate.[72]
AfterTrump's inauguration in 2017, Heitkamp was described as being "under intense pressure from the president to defect to the tax reform cause."[73] On December 1, 2017, she joined every Democrat and 14 House and Senate Republicans in voting against theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[74]
Heitkamp was described in 2017 as wanting "to use her White House connections to prod Trump to take a softer view on trade".[28]
Politico wrote in 2017 that Heitkamp "hates the White House's budget's agriculture cuts and believes they'd devastate North Dakota".[28]
Heitkamp was one of the chief architects ofa bank deregulation bill that rolled back provisions ofDodd-Frank. Many progressives, most notablyElizabeth Warren, have urged her colleagues to oppose the bill.[75] She was one of 17 Democrats who broke with the majority of their party and voted with Republicans to ease bank regulations.[76] Trump invited Heitkamp to take part in the signing ceremony after the bill's passage.[77]
On April 5, 2013, Heitkamp announced her support forsame-sex marriage, along with fellowred state Democratic SenatorJoe Donnelly, who entered the Senate at the same time Heitkamp did.[78]
When running for Senate in 2012, Heitkamp said she opposed public funding ofabortions and believed that "late term abortions should be illegal except when necessary to save the life of the mother." After her election, however, she voted tofilibuster a bill that would have made abortions illegal after the fifth month of pregnancy except when the mother's life is endangered. Heitkamp's apparent shift led to criticism byMarjorie Dannenfelser of the anti-abortionSusan B. Anthony List.[79]
Planned Parenthood, which supports legal abortion andreproductive rights, has given Heitkamp a 100% lifetime rating. She received a 100% rating fromNARAL Pro-Choice America, a 20% rating from theanti-abortion organizationNational Right to Life, and a 20% rating fromDemocrats for Life, a group of anti-abortion Democrats.[58]
Heitkamp said she supports reforming thefilibuster in the United States Senate, but did not endorse the proposal by SenatorsRon Wyden andTom Udall to do so.[80]
Heitkamp was described in 2014 as a "Hillary Clinton fan" who believed Clinton would "run, win, and be 'an excellent president.'" She said of Clinton, "I think she transcends gender. When people look at her, they don't see male or female. They see a very accomplished, qualified candidate. She's very collaborative, very open to a different way of looking at things, uber smart. She digs down and understands an issue."[34]
Heitkamp was less enthusiastic about Clinton by 2016, in light of heremail controversy and what Heitkamp perceived as Clinton's turn to the left. In 2018, when asked when Clinton would "ride off into the sunset," Heitkamp replied, "Not soon enough."[81]
After the2016 presidential election, in which Trump won North Dakota overwhelmingly, Heitkamp said she did not have to change her views to appeal to Trump supporters. In December 2016, she toldBloomberg News, "Many of the people who voted for Donald Trump are the same voters from rural communities who I know, grew up with and work with every day." According to Bloomberg, Heitkamp "hinted at a preference for Trump politicos over Washington ones because the former don't 'come as establishment Republicans,' but have a great 'willingness to listen to a different perspective.'"[82]
In a June 2017 profile, Burgess Everett ofPolitico wrote, "Washington is a surprisingly cozy place right now for Heitkamp. She met with Trump about a Cabinet position in December, visited the White House three times since and speaks regularly to Trump's chief of staffReince Priebus and top economic adviserGary Cohn...Heitkamp is plainly chummier with Trump than she was to PresidentBarack Obama." Everett quotedSenate Minority WhipDick Durbin as saying that it is "a complete waste of time" to try to get Heitkamp to vote with her party when she is determined to do otherwise. "Her independence, and her closeness to Trump, will be a boon if she does run again," Everett wrote. "Republicans respect Heitkamp, and Sen.John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said she will enter as the favorite."[28]
On September 6, 2017, Trump gave a speech in North Dakota and, in addition to inviting Republican officials onstage, also asked Heitkamp to join him, explaining: "Everyone's saying: What's she doing up here? But I'll tell you what: Good woman, and I think we'll have your support—I hope we'll have your support. And thank you very much, senator. Thank you for coming up." Amber Phillips ofThe Washington Post noted that given Trump's popularity in North Dakota, his remarks had amounted to "a potentially massive boost" for Heitkamp as she sought "to remain the state's lone statewide elected Democrat."[83] Heitkamp had flown with Trump to North Dakota onAir Force One.[84]
Heitkamp heard from approximately 1,400 North Dakotans about Trump's nomination ofBetsy DeVos forSecretary of Education. About 1,330 of them opposed it. She then announced her opposition to DeVos, attributing her decision to this overwhelming public reaction. "Need an education secretary who puts students 1st & will work to strengthen public school education, not privatize it as Betsy DeVos would," Heitkamp tweeted.[85]
Heitkamp was the first Democrat to support and one of the handful of Democrats to vote to confirm Trump's nomineeMike Pompeo as Secretary of State.[86]
According toFiveThirtyEight, during her final two years in the Senate, Heitkamp voted the second-most in line with Trump among theDemocratic Caucus, behind only SenatorJoe Manchin ofWest Virginia.[87]
Relationship with Joe Biden
In regards toPresident Bidendropping out of the2024 presidential election, Heitkamp said on July 21, 2024 that while she considers Biden an ally and a close friend, she added "[today was] a good day for theDemocratic Party." She called his decision "a sacrifice he is making for the country." and added "He has served this country so ably, it can't have been easy."[88]
Heitkamp voted to confirmNeil Gorsuch to theU.S. Supreme Court, tellingCNBC that she had made this decision "based on an interview and a review of his record." She said: "Would he be the judge I'd pick? No, never...But he is the judge that the duly elected president picked."[89]
In October 2018, Heitkamp voted against confirming Supreme Court nomineeBrett Kavanaugh, amid allegations that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted women.[90][91] Her vote against Kavanaugh was considered politically risky, given North Dakota's Republican leanings. During the three weeks after her October 6 vote,Real Clear Politics reported her polling deficit in her2018 reelection campaign against Republican challengerKevin Cramer had widened from 8.7% to 14%.[92] In an interview, Heitkamp said that the "better part of my career in public life has been working with victims" and that her mother had been sexually assaulted as a teenager.[93]
Heitkamp had an A rating from theNational Rifle Association (NRA) for her consistent support of pro-gun legislation.[94] In 2012, the NRA gave her an 86% score for supporting their positions;Gun Owners of America, another gun rights organization, gave her a 30% rating.[58]Bloomberg News has commented that "on guns, it will be hard to find room to the right of her."[82]
In an April 11, 2013 interview, Heitkamp said that she intended to vote against theManchin-Toomey amendment, which was introduced in the Senate after theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting. It would have amended theBrady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to expand background checks to gun shows and internet purchases.[95] Heitkamp said, "I'm going to represent my state. ... in the end it's not what any other senator believes. It's about what the people of North Dakota believe."[95]
Polling suggested that the majority of North Dakotans approve of prohibiting individuals on the No-Fly list from buying firearms and ammunition,[96][97] but in June 2016, after theOrlando nightclub shooting, Heitkamp voted against such a prohibition. She was the only Democratic senator to do so.[98] She instead expressed support for a "compromise gun bill" proposed bySusan Collins.[99]
Her vote against expandedbackground checks for gun buyers angered many, including formerWhite House chief of staffWilliam M. Daley, who "was so enraged he wrote a blistering attack in theWashington Post asking for his $2,500 campaign donation back."[34]
Heitkamp declined to participate in theDemocratic filibuster on gun control in June 2016, leading to harsh criticism by gun control groups such as theBrady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence andEverytown for Gun Safety.[100]
According toReuters, Heitkamp "has been a supporter of domestic energy development, both in fossil fuels and renewable resources."[35] She has said that she supports theKeystone XL pipeline because it will create jobs, decrease America's dependence on foreign oil from the Middle East, and help drive down the national debt.[101] She has also said that many who opposehydraulic fracturing have been exposed to "junk science" and do not know what it really is.[102] She wasClimate Hawks Vote's lowest-rated Democratic senator on climate leadership in the113th Congress and remains among the lowest in 2015.[103][104]
In December 2016, Heitkamp toldCNBC that although theArmy Corps of Engineers had refused to approve permits needed to complete theDakota Access pipeline, that would change under Trump. She said that she understood those who opposed the construction of the pipeline through Native American land, but added: "I just think that this fight is not winnable."[105]
In February 2017, Heitkamp was one of two Democratic senators to vote to confirmScott Pruitt asAdministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.[106] In March 2017, she issued a statement supporting Trump's approval of Keystone XL, calling it "common sense".[107] She also voted against theStream Protection Rule.[108]
Heitkamp is married to Darwin Lange, a family practitioner. They reside inMandan and have two adult children, Ali and Nathan.[109] Heitkamp survived a bout withbreast cancer in 2000.[28] She is a member of the Catholic Church.[110]
Heitkamp has said, "I think certain people in my party know me pretty well and I'm too old to change. I would have a hard time figuring out how I would not say what I really thought at this point in my life. I always say, don't ever get between a post-menopausal woman and [what she thinks is] a good idea."[34]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Hoeven | 159,255 | 55.03% | −11.16% | |
| Democratic–NPL | Heidi Heitkamp | 130,144 | 44.97% | +11.16% | |
| Write-in | 13 | 0.00% | |||
| Majority | 29,111 | 10.06% | −22.32% | ||
| Turnout | 289,412 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic–NPL | Heidi Heitkamp | 161,337 | 50.24% | −18.58% | |
| Republican | Rick Berg | 158,401 | 49.32% | +19.79% | |
| Write-in | 1,406 | 0.44% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 321,144 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Democratic–NPLhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic–NPL | Heidi Heitkamp (incumbent) | 36,729 | 99.58% | |
| Write-in | 152 | 0.42% | ||
| Total votes | 36,883 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Cramer | 179,720 | 55.11% | +5.79% | |
| Democratic–NPL | Heidi Heitkamp (incumbent) | 144,376 | 44.27% | −5.97% | |
| Write-in | 2,042 | 0.63% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 326,138 | 100% | N/A | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic–NPL | |||||
NDCC § 16.1–16–01(2)(b) Demand Recounts – If an individual fails to be elected by more than 0.5% but less than 2% of the vote cast for the candidate receiving the most votes for the office sought.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim Engel | Democratic nominee forNorth Dakota State Auditor 1984 | Succeeded by Steve Pederson |
| First | Democratic nominee forTax Commissioner of North Dakota 1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forAttorney General of North Dakota 1992, 1996 | Succeeded by Glenn Pomeroy |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of North Dakota 2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromNorth Dakota (Class 1) 2012,2018 | Succeeded by Katrina Christiansen |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Tax Commissioner of North Dakota 1986–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney General of North Dakota 1992–2000 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from North Dakota 2013–2019 Served alongside:John Hoeven | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Senator | Order of precedence of the United States | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Senator |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
