North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said Thursday she will likely remain in the Senate despite recently meeting with President-elect Trump about joining the administration.
Appearing on her brother’s radio show, Heitkamp reiterated that her priority is to serve the residents of North Dakota and said she is likely to serve out the final two years of her term. Heitkamp, who is up for re-election in 2018, has been mentioned as a candidate to become the next secretary of agriculture.
“The job that I have right now is incredibly challenging. I love it,” Heitkamp told KFGO radio Thursday morning. “These are ongoing discussions but also I will tell you that my first love is serving the people of North Dakota.”
“I’m not saying ‘never never,’ but I will tell you that I’m very, very honored to serve the people of North Dakota and I hope that no matter what I do, that will always be my first priority,” Heitkamp continued.
When asked by Joel Heitkamp, her brother, if that signaled her return to the Senate, the North Dakota Democrat said: “I think it’s likely that that’s going to be the outcome from all of this.”
Heitkamp met with Trump and Vice President-elect Pence on Dec. 2, leading Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, to implore her to not join the administration and potentially leave a seat open for Republicans to take over.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell met with Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., about the possibility of running for the seat if Heitkamp were to join the administration. Cramer is expected to challenge Heitkamp in 2018.
