Senator Heidi Heitkamp, at Dawn of Re-Election Campaign, Jumps Into Fight Over UND Women’s Hockey Program
In a decision she probably wouldn’t have made were she not up for re-election this cycle, Senator Heidi Heitkamp has jumped into in fight over the now-canceled women’s hockey program at the University of North Dakota promising to help “ignite” activism against the decision.
UPDATE: “I’m taking the steps to prepare to run, but am still in the process of making a decision,” Heitkamp told the Grand Forks Herald in a just-published article.
Here’s a clip from her interview on left wing sports network ESPN. Click the image to watch.
“I think it’s horrible. I think that what happened to those young women who were practicing and working their heart out…it was a huge blow,” Heitkamp said during the interview.
“We think about sports on campuses as building teamwork building leadership and when you close that door to half of the population, in fact a greater part of the population in our state, I think it’s the wrong decision at UND as an alumni and as someone who represents our state. I think it’s a very bad decision,” she continued.
The interviewer asked if there was any chance of the decision being reversed, and Heitkamp suggested it was possible.
“According to them it’s a done deal, but you know things have a way of working themselves out when we ignite and get more activism out there,” she said.
Heitkamp was also asked about the fiscal realities of the program. It ran $1.6 million in the red in 2016, accumulating just $25,000 worth of ticket sales.
Tellingly, Heitkamp didn’t have a good answer for that.
“I think when you look at how new women’s hockey is compared to eight national championships for the mens’ hockey time, I think you have to give things time,” she said. “We have a beautiful hockey stadium in NOrth Dakota let’s make sure we have men’s hockey as well as women’s hockey in that stadium.”
In other words, the taxpayers and students should just keep eating the expense I guess.
But you have to remember that for Heitkamp this isn’t about sound policy. This is all about Heitkamp’s re-election campaign.
