News – Page 9 – North Dakota Republican Party

The SCOTUS ⏰ is ticking…

September 14, 2018 by Jake Wilkins in Supreme Court

Happy Friday everyone—

Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s hearings to become our next Supreme Court Justice concluded now one week ago, but Heidi Heitkamp is nowhere to be found.

Heitkamp promised to announce her position following the hearing, but since its conclusion Heitkamp has remained silent, refusing to either take a side on the eminently qualified nominee or even to condemn the extreme tactics employed by her Democrat colleagues and “friends.” Heitkamp continues to ignore the will of her constituents because she’s dutifully following Chuck Schumer’s orders to stay neutral as long as possible.

Now, Forum political commentator Rob Port is out with a new piece highlighting how Heitkamp’s party boss Chuck Schumer and her Democrat colleagues may have already cost her the North Dakota Senate seat.

As Port asks in his piece, “Do voters here want the second half of the term Trump was elected to obstructed by a Democrat-controlled Senate, and all the political stunts and recrimination which would go along with it?” The answer from North Dakotans is a resounding no.

In case you missed it…

Democratic Attacks on Kavanaugh May Cost Heitkamp Her Senate Seat

Rob Port

9.14.18

Democrats have become so extreme in their efforts to block Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s that it could end up costing incumbent Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp a Senate seat.

Just look at the stakes Democrats have created for this confirmation vote, which is expected to happen some time in early October. Senator Gillibrand of New York has said that “women are going to die” if he is confirmed. Currently there is a furor over an anonymous letter, which few have seen, accusing Kavanaugh of doing something at a house party 30 years ago when he was 17 that, if true, might rise to the level of sexual assault or some other sort of criminal misconduct.

Except, Democrats took the potentially criminal accusations in this letter so seriously they’ve been sitting on it since July and only released it now on the cusp of the confirmation vote.

In Minnesota sitting congressman, and candidate for state Attorney General, Keith Ellison has been accused of assault on the record by a former girlfriend (and her son) who is not anonymous. We can have a debate about how credible her accusation is, but her claims have more substance than what we’ve seen against Kavanaugh so far.

Yet Democrats are standing beside Ellison, and they want Kavanaugh removed from consideration for the court.

Meanwhile, the supposedly “independent” Heidi Heitkamp is trying to get herself re-elected to the U.S. Senate with votes from a generally pro-Trump electorate.

This Kavanaugh mess represents a problem for her in a couple of ways.

First, there’s the fact that she’s eventually going to have to vote on his confirmation. Heitkamp’s political party has so thoroughly stoked the fires of hatred for Kavanaugh that the wink-and-a-nod understanding Heitkamp usually enjoys from the liberal base for her calculated and cynical election year feints to the right will probably be out the window. For many left-wing voters in the state, a Heitkamp vote for Kavanaugh might be enough to inspire them to stay home.

Heitkamp can’t afford to lose those votes.

On the flip side, if Heitkamp votes against Kavanaugh it would be her siding with her political party to kill the Supreme Court nomination of a President most North Dakotans voted for.

Heitkamp can’t afford to lose those votes either.

I’m not sure there is a good option for how to vote on this one.

The second problem is the circus around the Kavanaugh confirmation process has been created by the political party which will be in charge of the U.S. Senate should Democrats like Heitkamp win their elections. Republicans are going to point that out for North Dakota voters who are deeply suspicious of Heitkamp’s political party.

Do voters here want the second half of the term Trump was elected to obstructed by a Democrat-controlled Senate, and all the political stuns and recrimination which would go along with it?

Probably not.

I suspect for Democrats, nationally, keeping Kavanaugh out of the Senate is more important than keeping Heitkamp in the Senate. Which makes perfect sense. Congressional majorities are fleeting. Supreme Court appointments are for life.

But it’s bad news for Heitkamp.

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0 for 11: more politics at its worst

September 14, 2018 by Jake Wilkins in Agriculture

Heidi Heitkamp is out with her eleventh ad of the cycle today, once again playing politics with North Dakota’s agricultural community.

While feigning interest in helping rural North Dakotans, Senator Heitkamp has spent the past year using farmers and ranchers as political props to attack President Trump and Kevin Cramer.

Throughout the campaign Heidi Heitkamp has actively undermined the President’s efforts against China, flip-flopped on the trade assistance package, and called a win for North Dakota agriculture “politics at its worst” because the news hurt her reelection campaign. As Kevin Cramer said, the best way to handle a trade war “is [to] win it,” but the only winning Heitkamp cares about is own her reelection campaign.

Despite the Heitkamp campaign’s desperate barrage of attack ads in hopes that voters will forget about her out-of-touch record, Kevin Cramer’s lead “has remained steady for months.”

“Senator Heitkamp playing politics with our farmers and ranchers is hurting North Dakotans,” said North Dakota Republican Party Communications Director Jake Wilkins. “Her new ad is entitled ‘Blame,’ but when voters reject Heitkamp’s blatant politicization of the agriculture community this November, the only person she’ll have to blame is herself.”

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ICYMI: “stronger than ever and ready for victory”

September 13, 2018 by Jake Wilkins in Heidi Heitkamp

Hey everyone—

Whether its opposing tax cuts for the middle class or supporting dangerous sanctuary cities, Heidi Heitkamp and her liberal friends in Washington are demonstrating just how out-of-touch they are with North Dakota’s values. Kevin Cramer, Kelly Armstrong and Republicans up and down the ballot are the right choice to represent this state, and the North Dakota Republican Party is more prepared than ever to deliver that message.

Chairman Rick Berg penned an op-ed detailing the unprecedented work being done to ensure the Republican message is effectively articulated and delivered to voters. Thanks to the NDGOP, North Dakota Republicans are better positioned for victory than ever before.

In case you missed it…

The NDGOP Is Stronger Than Ever
Chairman Rick Berg
9.13.18

The eyes of the nation are on North Dakota as we approach this November’s general election. Campaigns for our critically important Senate seat, open House seat, and several statewide elected offices have all drawn the interest of voters, advocacy groups, and political pundits from across the country. Most importantly, these races and the 23 legislative districts on the ballot in November will have a sizeable impact on the future of our state – which is why the North Dakota Republican Party has taken unprecedented steps to expand and enhance its infrastructure.

Our collective success is not artificial: it is the result of a purposeful choice by North Dakota voters who want a party that supports them. The efforts of our volunteer base and Republicans everywhere will be the reason for our electoral success in November.

Taking our message straight to the front door, NDGOP volunteer teams have already knocked over 100,000 doors and made over 150,000 phone calls. To make this happen, our teams have held over 1,000 one-on-one meetings with other volunteers and have activated and trained hundreds more in every corner of the state. Every day, these teams are continuing to talk to more voters than ever before in our party’s history. The momentum is certainly on our side.

Additionally, we have established a strong communications department tasked with advancing our candidates’ winning message while directly engaging with voters through new mediums. Our communications team is uniquely positioned to successfully promote our candidates and issues.

The message being crafted by our communications team and delivered directly to voters by our incredible field team is a winning message for North Dakota. Our focus on economic success, regulatory relief, affordable health care, respect for the rule of law, and an all-the-above energy approach is what North Dakotans want from their elected officials.

This is why the North Dakota Republican Party is well equipped to deliver results in November and put forward an agenda the people support – but it is all for naught if we fail to activate our grassroot Republicans. With the infrastructure now in place, we need even more Republicans from all across the state to step in and join our efforts – you can get started at ndgop.org.

Please join the ranks of hundreds of volunteers who are already in place so together we can ensure the NDGOP is stronger than ever and ready for victory on election day.

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NDGOP Statement on Secretary of State Debate

September 12, 2018 by Jake Wilkins in Uncategorized

BISMARCK— North Dakota Republican Party Communications Director Jake Wilkins issued the following in support of Secretary of State Al Jaeger’s debate performance:

“Tonight Republican Al Jaeger reminded voters why he’s the right choice for Secretary of State and why they’ve consistently chosen to support him throughout the years. Secretary Jaeger has a proven track record of ensuring our election systems are efficient, modernized, and secure. Al Jaeger stands with North Dakotans, who overwhelming want to ensure the integrity of our elections — while his Democratic opponent boasts about opposing voter identification efforts in the legislature. The North Dakota Republican Party looks forward to helping Al secure a resounding victory this November!”

Hillary and Chuck to Heitkamp’s Rescue

September 12, 2018 by Jake Wilkins in Heidi Heitkamp

It turns out Hillary Clinton knows how to do more with a computer than just delete emails.

Leading strategists are saying the North Dakota Senate race is looking good for Kevin Cramer, and Heidi Heitkamp is starting to panic. To try and save her failing campaign, Hillary Clinton’s Priorities USA and Chuck Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC have now announced a slew of new digital ads to defend their favorite red state Democrats like Heidi Heitkamp.

This new round of attacks are unlikely to be successful, as their misleading ads on Kevin Cramer have been consistently discredited. As local outlet Valley News Live reported, “Senate Majority PAC has a history of playing fast and loose with the truth.”

“Heidi Heitkamp campaigned aggressively for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and now Clinton is returning the favor,” said North Dakota Republican Party Communications Director Jake Wilkins. “Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer are on a mission to save their favorite Senator, but their factually inaccurate ads won’t distract from Heidi Heitkamp’s liberal record that North Dakotans oppose.”

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Heitkamp still pretending to review Kavanaugh’s exceptional record

September 12, 2018 by Jake Wilkins in Supreme Court

Judge Brett Kavanaugh is many days removed from his confirmation hearing, but Heidi Heitkamp is continuing to follow Chuck Schumer’s orders to stay neutral as long as possible on his nomination to the Supreme Court:

Even as she concedes Judge Kavanaugh said nothing disqualifying in his hearing, and has the qualifications to be appointed to the Supreme Court, Heidi Heitkamp is stalling until Chuck Schumer gives her permission to make a decision.

Meanwhile, Heitkamp has still refused to condemn her Democrat colleagues’ obstructionist efforts to disrupt and protest Kavanaugh’s hearings. The people of North Dakota deserve to know why Heidi Heitkamp is apparently okay with her party’s inappropriate behavior.

“Heidi Heitkamp is dragging her feet on supporting Brett Kavanaugh because Chuck Schumer told her to,” said North Dakota Republican Party Communications Director Jake Wilkins. “Heitkamp needs to follow the will of North Dakotans by supporting Judge Kavanaugh and condemning her colleagues’ extremist tactics.”

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the empty seat

September 12, 2018 by Jake Wilkins in Agriculture

On a day most Americans traditionally set aside for remembrance and patriotism, Heidi Heitkamp decided to spend her time yesterday attacking her political opponent by using a cheap, political gimmick:

As was previously reported, Kevin Cramer had already made prior commitments before receiving this invitation, but sadly that won’t mean anything to the Heitkamp campaign where facts don’t matter.

Yesterday we saw what we’ve seen so many times before: Heidi Heitkamp playing politics with North Dakota farmers, using them as political props to attack President Trump and Kevin Cramer instead of listening to their concerns or being their voice. She employs these desperate tactics because she knows North Dakota’s agricultural community firmly stands behind Kevin Cramer.

“When North Dakotans see an empty seat, Heidi Heitkamp is the first person that comes to mind,” said North Dakota Republican Party Communications Director Jake Wilkins. “When they needed her to come to the table on tax cuts, Obamacare repeal, or illegal immigration, Heidi Heitkamp was nowhere to be found.”

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It’s not your seat, Heidi

September 7, 2018 by Jake Wilkins in Heidi Heitkamp

President Trump told a crowd of North Dakotans today that Heidi Heitkamp is out-of-touch with North Dakota’s values, and now she seems determined to prove him right.

Just hours after the President’s fundraising event in North Dakota, Heidi Heitkamp sent out a tone deaf email, claiming this Senate seat belongs to her:

NEWSFLASH– This Senate seat doesn’t belong to Heidi Heitkamp; it belongs to the people of North Dakota. And given that 90% of the $1 million President Trump’s event raised came from North Dakotans, it looks like they want it back.

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Unavoidable

September 7, 2018 by Jake Wilkins in Heidi Heitkamp Uncategorized

President Trump is in North Dakota today in support of Kevin Cramer’s Senate bid, and given Heidi Heitkamp’s abysmal record and support for Hillary Clinton, she really wants to change the subject.

President Trump, who won the state by 36 points, stands for growing our economy, combating illegal immigration, repealing harmful regulations and ending late-term abortion. While Heitkamp will spend the day offering cheap gimmicks to distract voters, the President’s visit serves as an unavoidable reminder that Heidi Heitkamp has stood in firm opposition to all he’s accomplished.

President Trump said it best during his last visit: “You need a senator who doesn’t just talk like they’re from North Dakota, but votes like they’re from North Dakota.”

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That’s Kevin

September 7, 2018 by Jake Wilkins in Heidi Heitkamp

President Trump visited North Dakota today to support Kevin Cramer and in his speech he did just that.

North Dakotans voted overwhelmingly for the Trump agenda in 2016, and as the President pointed out, there’s only one candidate for Senate who will advance that agenda and “that’s Kevin Cramer.”

Border security? “That’s Kevin.”
Bigger paychecks? “That’s Kevin.”
Reduced crime? “That’s Kevin.”
Better health care? “That’s Kevin.”
Conservative judges? “That’s Kevin.”
Protect the unborn? “That’s Kevin.”
Support the Second Amendment? “That’s Kevin.”

In his visit today, President Trump reminded North Dakotans that Heidi Heitkamp stands in firm opposition to the agenda they want and the principles they stand for. With Kevin Cramer, North Dakota voters are ready to elect a Senator that stands for them.

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