US Senate: North Dakota

[Joseph Robidoux III]

North Dakota's US Senate seat has been projected by most as flipping for the Republicans ever since Sen Kent Conrad (D-ND) announced he would not run for re-election in 2012. The GOP may win this race but it is not presently the slam dunk many were expecting.The Republican candidate is freshman Congressman Rick Berg. Berg won the US House seat previously held by Democratic Congressman Earl Pomeroy from 1993 until 2011. The Democratic candidate is Heidi Heitkamp, a former state attorney general.North Dakota's economy, unlike most of the country, is in a boom and Heitkamp has been critical of Pres Obama position on the Keystone XL oil pipeline.The below linked CBS article appears to be a good starting point for following this election.[/break1]cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57440018/competitive-senate-race-shaping-up-in-north-dakota/]http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162- ... th-dakota/

US Senate ND 2012-05-23.JPG

[/break1]realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/nd/north_dakota_senate_berg_vs_heitkamp-3212.html]http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls ... -3212.html

[Foggy]

"If you pass a car going the other way in North Dakota and the driver doesn't wave, then you know he's only got one arm." - Dave Barry





Population of North Dakota: 683,932 - Jul 2011


Population of Wake County, NC: 906,969 - Jul 2010


Source: U.S. Census Bureau





'Course, I moved from ...


Population of Orange County, CA: 3,018,963

[Jez]

Heitkamp is more than likely not going to win. When she was AG, she was not very popular.

[Joseph Robidoux III]

Not a lot of poll results to compare, but you take what you get.

US Senate ND 2012-06-08.JPG

[/break1]realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/nd/north_dakota_senate_berg_vs_heitkamp-3212.html]http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls ... -3212.htmlThis race has been projected as Likely or Leans Republican from multiple sources ever since Sen Conrad announced his retirement. Republicans would be in shock to lose this one.

[Joseph Robidoux III]

An interesting NY Times article about the different demeanors of Rick Berg and Heidi Heitkamp. The article also tells about campaigning in North Dakota that is unlike many other states (check the Rooster's post above regarding population).“I said: ‘Heidi, save your breath. I’m voting for you,’ ” Mr. Rademacher recalled, marveling at her personal attention. “I don’t necessarily agree with her, but I trust her.” Gary Volk backed Ms. Heitkamp, a former state attorney general, after she sat for four hours on a slab of concrete next to what was once his house, listening to his struggles to recover from catastrophic flooding last year. Larry Windus’s mind was made up by an encounter with her opponent, Representative Rick Berg, a Republican, that ended with the candidate turning his back on him. “He’s not very personable,” said Mr. Windus, 55, a dishwasher at Charlie’s Main Street Cafe here.[/break1]nytimes.com/2012/10/01/us/politics/democratic-heidi-heitkamp-is-strong-in-gop-north-dakota.html?ref=politics]http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/us/po ... f=politicsThe Rasmussen poll is the only one added since my June post.http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n63 ... -10-01.jpg[/break1]realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/nd/north_dakota_senate_berg_vs_heitkamp-3212.html]http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls ... -3212.html

[Jez]

Ah, yes, my home State. Where the politicians will still go "a-walkin". And you still don't have to register to vote. Just show up with your Driver's License.

[Joseph Robidoux III]

A new poll from Mason-Dixon has been added to the list.Not a lot of poll results to compare, but you take what you get.http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n63 ... -10-10.jpg[/break1]realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/nd/north_dakota_senate_berg_vs_heitkamp-3212.html]http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls ... -3212.html

[Joseph Robidoux III]

Update:





The latest Rasmussen poll shows Congressman Rick Berg's lead shrank from +9 to +5. Despite that it's probably safe to label this race as Leans Republican.





http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n63 ... -10-26.jpg


[/break1]realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/nd/north_dakota_senate_berg_vs_heitkamp-3212.html]http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls ... -3212.html

[Joseph Robidoux III]

Ah, yes, my home State. Where the politicians will still go "a-walkin".This is a pleasant surprise. Heidi Heitkamp's meet-all-the-voters-you-can paid off. Rmoney won Lawrence Welk land by 19%, the Republican running for Governor won by 29%, the Republican candidate for the at-large US House seat won by 13%. The Senate seat from North Dakota is a Democratic hold instead of the expected Republican gain. :-bd http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n63 ... -11-07.jpg[/break1]kfyrtv.com/votes.asp]http://www.kfyrtv.com/votes.aspI believe the big difference between Rick Berg and either Todd Akin or Richard Mourdock is Berg had the good sense to keep his mouth shut about abortion. From what I recall about Berg, he has been no friend for women's rights.