Kevin Cramer wins
Kevin Cramer won the Senate with 55.4 percent of the vote, becoming North Dakota’s second Republican Senator in Washington. The race was close until last minute scandals, and the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation greatly lowered Heidi Heitkamp’s chances in the last week leading up to the election.
Cramer served as the chair of the Republican Party in North Dakota and is currently serving as the state’s only representative. President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence visited North Dakota a total of six times to support the candidate. Trump and Cramer both tried to give North Dakotans the perception that Heitkamp was playing centrist politics and wasn’t really working for the state’s best interest.
In Cramer’s victory speech in Bismarck, North Dakota, he congratulated the other winners in the state and thanked his wife and campaign manager for the help. He also thanked the whole state: “Tonight, I want you to know you have given me the honor of my life when you have let me serve in various capacities. It’s been one of the greatest pleasures to serve as North Dakota’s only member of the People’s House.”
Heitkamp’s defeat to Cramer can be attributed to her no vote against Kavanaugh and a scandal where a piece of her campaign literature was released with the names of alleged sexual assault victims on it.
“Tonight, I want you to know you have given me the honor of my life when you have let me serve in various capacities,” – Senator-elect Kevin Cramer
In her concession speech, Heitkamp said, “We offered an alternative. You know in many cases, we are still hopeful that alternative will be picked. In my case, it’s not.”
Heitkamp said she is heading back to North Dakota to continue her work for the people of North Dakota.
Heitkamp thanked her family and said she was proud of the contributions they make in the state of North Dakota. She thanked her campaign staff, specifically her campaign manager, who Heitkamp said knew from the beginning this was going to be a challenging race. Heitkamp also thanked her congressional staff.
Heitkamp called her career as a U.S. senator an “honor of a lifetime.”
“For so many of the young people who got engaged (with the campaign), it seems like such a bitter thing to lose an election,” Heitkamp said. “But the worst thing would be to not ever run at all.”
Heitkamp also gave a warning during the speech about the conditions for farmers. She said when conditions are tough on the farm, they’re tough in the country. “We have to have a policy that works for the farmers in our state.”
Marijuana loses
With Measure 3, North Dakota voted to not legalize recreational marijuana. Michigan became the first Midwestern state to legalize marijuana, and Missouri and Utah legalized medical use of the drug.
Democrats win the House
The Democrats picked up enough seats in the People’s House to take the majority with 220 seats to the Republican’s 194. Some are calling this a blow to President Donald Trump and a check on the Republican power in Washington.