Heidi Heitkamp facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Heidi Heitkamp
Official portrait, 2013

United States Senator from North Dakota
In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Kent Conrad
Succeeded by	Kevin Cramer
28th Attorney General of North Dakota
In office December 15, 1992 – December 15, 2000
Governor	Ed Schafer
Preceded by	Nicholas Spaeth
Succeeded by	Wayne Stenhjem
20th Tax Commissioner of North Dakota
In office December 2, 1986 – December 15, 1992
Governor	George Sinner
Preceded by	Kent Conrad
Succeeded by	Robert Hanson

Personal details
Born	Mary Kathryn Heitkamp (1955-10-30) October 30, 1955 (age 69) Breckenridge, Minnesota, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (D-NPL)
Spouse	Darwin Lange
Children	2
Relatives	Joel Heitkamp (brother) Jason Heitkamp (cousin)
Education	University of North Dakota (BA) Lewis & Clark College (JD)

Heidi Heitkamp (born October 30, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician. She served as a U.S. Senator for North Dakota from 2013 to 2019. She was the first woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate from North Dakota.

Before becoming a senator, Heitkamp held other important jobs in North Dakota. She was the state's Tax Commissioner from 1986 to 1992. Then, she was the Attorney General of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000. As of 2024, she is the last Democrat to win a statewide election in North Dakota.

In 2000, Heitkamp ran for governor of North Dakota but lost. In 2011, she decided to run for the U.S. Senate. She won a very close election in 2012 against Rick Berg. This made her North Dakota's second female senator, and the first one elected by the people. She ran for reelection in 2018 but was defeated by Kevin Cramer.

After leaving the Senate, Heitkamp started working as a TV commentator and a visiting expert at Harvard University. She also helped start an organization called One Country Project. This group helps Democrats connect better with voters in rural areas. In 2023, she became the director of the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago.

Early life and education

Heidi Heitkamp was born in Breckenridge, Minnesota, in 1955. She was the fourth of seven children. Her mother was a school cook, and her father worked as a janitor and construction worker.

Heitkamp grew up in Mantador, North Dakota. She went to public schools there. She got the nickname "Heidi" in first grade. This helped tell her apart from other classmates named Mary and Kathy. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of North Dakota in 1977. She then earned a law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School in 1980.

Early career

Heitkamp worked as an intern for the United States Congress in 1976. She also interned for the North Dakota Legislative Assembly in 1977.

Practicing attorney and politics

From 1980 to 1981, Heitkamp worked as a lawyer for the Environmental Protection Agency. This agency works to protect the environment. After that, she worked as a lawyer for North Dakota's State Tax Commissioner, Kent Conrad.

She also became active in politics. She joined the North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party. In 1986, the Tax Commissioner, Kent Conrad, left his job to become a U.S. Senator. North Dakota Governor George A. Sinner chose Heitkamp to be the new Tax Commissioner. She then ran for the office and won with 66% of the votes. She served as Tax Commissioner until 1992.

North Dakota Attorney General

In 1992, the North Dakota Attorney General, Nick Spaeth, decided not to run again. Heitkamp ran for Attorney General and won with 62% of the votes. She was reelected in 1996 with 64% of the votes.

As Attorney General, Heitkamp was known for leading North Dakota's efforts to get money from tobacco companies. This was to cover the costs of health problems caused by smoking. These efforts led to a big agreement called the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.

2000 gubernatorial election

In 2000, the governor of North Dakota decided not to run for a third term. Heitkamp ran for governor as a Democrat. During her campaign, she faced a health challenge when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She later recovered. She lost the election to Republican John Hoeven.

Business

From 2001 to 2012, Heitkamp was a director on the board of the Dakota Gasification Company. She is now on the advisory board of the Canadian American Business Council. This group helps businesses in Canada and America work together.

Heitkamp's brother, Joel Heitkamp, is a radio talk-show host. Heidi has sometimes filled in as host for his show, News and Views.

U.S. Senate

Elections

2012 election

In January 2011, U.S. Senator Kent Conrad announced he would not run for reelection in 2012. On November 8, 2011, Heidi Heitkamp announced she would run for his open seat. She promised to be an "independent voice" for North Dakota.

Heitkamp won the election on November 6, 2012. She won by a very small number of votes, less than 1% of all votes. Her opponent, Rick Berg, accepted the results the next day.

In 2014, some people thought Heitkamp might even run for president in 2020. They said she showed traditional values like honesty and hard work.

In December 2016, it was reported that President-elect Donald Trump was thinking about asking Heitkamp to be his Secretary of Agriculture. Heitkamp said she would probably not accept the offer. She said she was honored to serve the people of North Dakota. Trump later nominated someone else for the job.

Heitkamp represented North Dakota in the Senate from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2019. She served alongside Republican John Hoeven.

2018 election

Heitkamp campaigning in October 2018

On September 13, 2017, Heitkamp announced she would run for a second term as senator. She talked about the importance of laws about roads and bridges, taxes, and energy. Republican Kevin Cramer ran against her.

On November 6, 2018, Kevin Cramer defeated Heitkamp.

Committee assignments

As a U.S. Senator, Heidi Heitkamp worked on several important committees. These committees study different topics and help create laws.

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry: This committee deals with farming, food, and forests.
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: This committee works on banking, housing, and city development.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: This committee focuses on keeping the country safe and how the government works.
Committee on Indian Affairs: This committee works on issues important to Native American tribes.
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: This committee helps small businesses grow.

Caucus memberships

Heitkamp was also part of groups called caucuses.

Afterschool Caucuses: This group supports programs for kids after school.
Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus: This group works to improve the 9-1-1 emergency system.

Later career

After leaving the Senate, Heitkamp became a commentator for CNBC, a business news channel. In the 2020 presidential election, she supported Joe Biden. In 2020, she was considered for Secretary of Agriculture in the Biden administration, but another person was chosen.

In 2021, Heitkamp worked as a lobbyist. She spoke against plans by the Democratic Party to raise taxes on large companies and very wealthy people.

In October 2022, Heitkamp was named the director of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. This is a center that helps students learn about politics.

Heitkamp is also on the board of American Edge. This is a group that supports the technology industry.

Political positions

Heidi Heitkamp is known as a moderate Democrat. This means she often tries to find common ground and work with both political parties. She supported laws that had support from both Democrats and Republicans.

Health care

Heitkamp said that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) had good and bad parts. She believed it needed to be improved. She was worried about insurance companies not covering children with existing health problems.

During a government shutdown in 2013, Heitkamp criticized Republicans for trying to stop the health care law. She was part of a group of senators from both parties who worked out a deal to end the shutdown. During this time, she donated about $8,000 of her salary to charities in North Dakota. These charities helped veterans, provided health care, and raised awareness for breast cancer.

In 2018, Heitkamp was one of six Democrats who voted to approve Alex Azar as Trump's choice for Health secretary.

Economic issues

Heitkamp wanted the Trump Administration to help the Export-Import Bank. This bank helps American businesses sell their products to other countries. She believed this would help North Dakota's economy.

Heitkamp said she would support a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. This means the government would not spend more money than it takes in. She said there should be exceptions for things like war, Social Security, and Medicare.

She supported the "Buffett Rule," which would make sure very wealthy people pay at least a 30% federal tax rate.

In 2017, Heitkamp voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This was a major tax reform bill.

Heitkamp also wanted to use her connections with the White House to encourage Trump to be softer on trade. She was concerned that cuts to agriculture funding in the White House's budget would hurt North Dakota.

Heitkamp helped create a bill that made some rules for banks less strict. She was one of 17 Democrats who voted with Republicans to ease these bank regulations.

Same-sex marriage

On April 5, 2013, Heitkamp announced that she supported same-sex marriage. She was one of the first Democratic senators from a more conservative state to do so.

Support for Hillary Clinton

In 2014, Heitkamp was a big supporter of Hillary Clinton. She believed Clinton would be an "excellent president." She said Clinton was very accomplished and smart.

By 2016, Heitkamp was less enthusiastic about Clinton. In 2018, when asked about Clinton, Heitkamp said, "Not soon enough."

Relationship with Donald Trump

After the 2016 presidential election, Heitkamp said she didn't need to change her views to appeal to Trump supporters. She said that many people who voted for Trump were the same rural voters she knew.

Heitkamp had a good working relationship with President Trump. She met with him about a Cabinet position and visited the White House several times. She also spoke regularly with his staff. She was seen as more friendly with Trump than she was with President Barack Obama.

In September 2017, Trump gave a speech in North Dakota. He invited Heitkamp to join him on stage. He called her a "good woman" and hoped for her support. This was seen as a big boost for Heitkamp, as Trump was very popular in North Dakota.

Heitkamp heard from about 1,400 people in North Dakota about Trump's choice for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. Most of them were against DeVos. Heitkamp then announced she would oppose DeVos. She said she wanted an education secretary who would strengthen public schools, not privatize them.

Heitkamp was the first Democrat to support and vote to confirm Trump's choice of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State.

Supreme Court

Heitkamp voted to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. She said she made her decision based on an interview and his past record. She said he might not be the judge she would pick, but he was the president's choice.

Heitkamp voted against Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. This was seen as a risky political move because North Dakota usually supports Republicans.

Gun laws

Heitkamp had a high rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA). This showed her support for gun rights.

In April 2013, after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Heitkamp said she would vote against a bill that would expand background checks for gun purchases. She said she would represent the beliefs of the people of North Dakota.

In June 2016, after the Orlando nightclub shooting, Heitkamp voted against a bill that would stop people on the No-Fly list from buying guns. She was the only Democratic senator to vote this way.

Her vote against expanded background checks made some people angry. One former White House official even asked for his campaign donation back. Heitkamp also did not join a Democratic protest about gun control in June 2016.

Energy and environment

Heitkamp has supported developing energy sources in the U.S., both fossil fuels and renewable energy. She supported the Keystone XL pipeline. She believed it would create jobs and reduce America's reliance on foreign oil. She also said that many people who oppose hydraulic fracturing (fracking) don't understand what it is.

In December 2016, Heitkamp said that the Dakota Access pipeline would likely be approved under Trump. She understood why some people opposed the pipeline going through Native American land, but she felt the "fight is not winnable."

In February 2017, Heitkamp was one of two Democratic senators to vote to confirm Scott Pruitt as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. In March 2017, she supported Trump's approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Personal life

Heidi Heitkamp is married to Darwin Lange, who is a family doctor. They live in Mandan, North Dakota. They have two adult children, Ali and Nathan. Heitkamp recovered from breast cancer in 2000. She is a member of the Catholic Church.

Heitkamp has said that she is "too old to change" and that she will always say what she truly thinks.

Images for kids

Official portrait, 2013
Heitkamp campaigning in October 2018