North Dakota Rep. Kevin Cramer will not challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp for her spot in the midterm elections in November.
Cramer made the announcement on a local North Dakota radio station Thursday morning and sources confirmed his decision to the Washington Examiner Thursday morning.
“The congressman announced he is running for re-election to the US House,” said Jason Stverak, a spokesman in Cramer’s Washington office, in an email to the Washington Examiner.
Cramer, a Republican, had long been expected to challenge Heitkamp in a state President Trump won overwhelmingly in the 2016 election. Trump himself had personally lobbied Cramer to run against Heitkamp.
“He also encouraged me strongly to consider a run for the United States Senate, the seat that’s up for election next year,” Cramer said in a local TV interview in November.
Cramer has been working closely with the Trump White House on energy policy and is one of the top Republicans in the Senate when it comes to pro-fossil fuels policies.
Reporter David Drucker contributed to this story.
