18 races to follow for the 2018 midterms

9. North Dakota Senate

Candidates: Democratic incumbent Heidi Heitkamp vs. Republican challenger Kevin Cramer

Right now, no one knows exactly how the Senate race in North Dakota will go down. And before one of us makes a terrible joke about politics in a distant land like North Dakota, this race is serious business. It’s also, more than almost any other race, a unique illustration of what it means to be a Democratic lawmaker in a place that is very often staunchly Republican.

What exactly does a Democrat like Senator Heidi Heitkamp have to do to keep her position? That’s probably a question that keeps both her and her campaign manager up at night, given their tricky situation. Democrats in red states typically have to find a centrist line that, theoretically, will appeal to all voters.

That usually includes platitudes about healthcare access, something that likely rings true for voters in rural areas of the state as it does for more urban constituents. She also has to play nice with Trump, considering her state voted for him with a 36-point margin over Hillary Clinton.

That doesn’t make things terribly clear, naturally. Presidential messaging on Heitkamp has been inconsistent. She’s ridden on Air Force One with Trump to an event in her state, where the president told people in the crowd that she was a “good woman.” That’s pretty extraordinary… except for a year later, where Trump criticized Heitkamp for allegedly joining “Chuck and Nancy.” Those two are Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, both prominent Democrats and boogeymen of Trump’s Twitter feed.

Heitkamp’s opponent, Kevin Cramer, is meanwhile becoming a formidable rival. Cramer, a representative for North Dakota’s At-Large Congressional District since 2013, already has significant name recognition and clout with voters.

Campaign website for Heidi Heitkamp: https://heidifornorthdakota.com/
Campaign website for Kevin Cramer: https://www.kevincramer.org/