At-Risk Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp Welcomes Donald Trump to North Dakota With Open Arms
U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp talks about the prospect of temporarily housing refugee children at the Grand Forks Air Force Base during a recent visit to the Grand Forks Herald Editorial Board. photo by Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald
Earlier today I wrote that President Donald Trump would probably turn up the heat on Senator Heidi Heitkamp during his upcoming visit to North Dakota. Heitkamp is facing a tough re-election campaign in 2018, and you can expect Trump to make some political hay while he’s here.
Well it’s clear that Heitkamp is already feeling the heat. She just issued a statement on Trump’s visit to the state that’s downright welcoming. Certainly not the sort of greeting Trump gets from Democrats elsewhere in the country:
. @SenatorHeitkamp just issued this statement on POTUS visit #ndpol pic.twitter.com/mr4RF0ldJU
— John Hageman (@jhageman_) September 1, 2017
This reaction to the statement from Republican state lawmaker Jake Blum rings true to me:
It appears even @SenatorHeitkamp is warmly welcoming @POTUS and endorsing his tax plan. Reeks of fear/posturing. #NDPol https://t.co/oeIaBsxvrJ
— Rep. Jake Blum (@RepJakeBlum) September 1, 2017
Heitkamp is in trouble ahead of 2018. She won’t be a pushover for Republicans, to be sure, but her re-election is anything but assured.
Given that reality, Heitkamp knows she has to be more with Trump than against him.
At least until election day. This, much like Heitkamp’s feigned reticence about announcing a re-election campaign even as she packs millions of out-of-state dollars into her campaign coffers, is a lot of phony posturing.
