Heidi Heitkamp Uses Fundraising Figures To Claim North Dakotans Have “Buyer’s Remorse” About Rick Berg
Yesterday he Heidi Heitkamp campaign sent out the press release and graphs below, claiming that Rick Berg’s fundraising totals had slowed, indicating “buyer’s remorse” among North Dakotans.
“Candidate who argue over campaign contributions obviously have nothing to say on substance,” a friend wrote to me in response when I shared the press release with him. “Heidi doesn’t want to talk issues because her positions will hurt her.”
That’s undoubtedly accurate. Even looking at Heitkamp’s campaign website, there’s nothing about issues or even the biography of the candidate. It’s just some pretty images and a form to donate online.
Heidi Heitkamp doesn’t want to talk about the issues, outside of those few issues (like the Kesytone XL pipeline) where she feels its safe to deviate from her party’s national position. Heitkamp wants to campaign on a vaguely Republican platform, and hope North Daotans forget her support for Obamacare and nanny statism and her enthusiastic support for President Obama and his spendthrift, big-government agenda.
Yesterday was the deadline for filing year-end fundraising numbers with the FEC, by the way. I don’t see Heitkamp’s report posted as yet, but it will be interesting to see if Heitkamp (like her fellow ND Democrat Pam Gulleson) will have gotten most of her money from national liberal interests.
Tags: election 2012, Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota News, Rick BergBUYER’S REMORSE: RICK BERG’S FOURTH QUARTER FUNDRAISING SLIDE AT A GLANCE
Heitkamp Almost Matches Berg’s Fundraising Total In Nearly Half The Amount Of Time
(BISMARCK, N.D.) — The North Dakota Dem-NPL released the following statement on news that Rick Berg’s fundraising saw nearly a 25 percent drop in funds from the previous quarter. Heidi Heitkamp, one of his Democratic-NPL opponents, raised nearly as much money in half the amount of time.
“It’s no wonder that Congressman Rick Berg’s campaign is lagging – North Dakotans are simply sick of his record of advancing his own interests and his party politics in Congress,” said Alison Kelly, spokesperson for the Democratic-NPL. “As Rick Berg campaigns for Senate on his record fighting for himself, the wealthy and special interests in Washington, North Dakotans are giving a big thumbs down to the idea of giving him a promotion.”
It’s clear that Berg’s campaign has hit a rough patch since Heitkamp’s entrance into the race. In that time, Berg has seen a nearly $200,000 dip in fundraising and a new poll emerged showing Heitkamp leading in a potential general election match-up.
Heitkamp only got in the race on November 8th, leaving her just 54 of the 92 days in the fourth quarter to fundraise. Since Berg was already in the race, that gave him 38 more days to raise funds. At that rate, Heitkamp outraised Berg by nearly 40 percent each day she was eligible to fundraise. That math doesn’t even account for the fact that Heitkamp raised most of her money during the holiday season, when political fundraising tends to slow down.
