Not Every Heitkamp Is A Democrat

In North Dakota, the last name “Heitkamp” is usually associated with left-wing politics. Heidi Heitkamp has been on ballots in the state for decades as a Democrat, and she’s currently one of the state’s two Senators. Her brother, Joel Heitkamp, is a left-wing talk radio host in Fargo who took over for Ed Schultz after he launched a national radio show.

But not everyone named Heitkmap is a Democrat.

I spoke with Jason Heitkamp, a long time SAB reader, at the NDGOP convention this weekend in Minot and he shared some humorous stories about his fellow convention delegates wondering about his last name. He said many people wondered if he was at the right event.

Jason’s daughter, Sierra, even made the news in a story about young people at the Republican convention. Sierra was a page for the convention in Minot, and says she volunteered for Republican Rick Berg’s Senate campaign in 2012 (Berg was her cousin Heidi Heitkamp’s opponent).

Jason said Sierra would be excited to see a post about her political activities on SAB. I’m happy to oblige, and to point out the ideological diversity behind one of North Dakota’s most recognizable political names.