Cramer ousts Heitkamp in critical North Dakota Senate race

Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) toppled Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) in North Dakota’s hotly contested Senate race on Tuesday after a hard-fought campaign that emerged as a test of Democrats’ ability to hold on in deep-red territory.

From the beginning, Heitkamp was seen as one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for reelection this year. President Trump won the state by nearly 36 points in 2016 and Cramer cast himself as a close ally of the president throughout his campaign.

{mosads}Still, early polls showed a close race and Heitkamp remained popular in the state.

But in the final month of the campaign, Cramer appeared to consolidate support as conservatives rallied around the controversial confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who faced multiple sexual misconduct allegations.

Heitkamp ultimately voted against Kavanaugh’s confirmation, setting the stage for GOP claims that she was out of touch with North Dakota voters.

Heitkamp’s seat was seen by Republicans as key to expanding their Senate majority and critical to Democratic efforts to retake the chamber.

The Cook Political Report rated the race as “Lean” Republican.