Heidi Heitkamp is the most vulnerable Democratic senator up for re-election this year. In a state that Trump won by over 35 points in 2016, Real Clear Politics has her trailing her opponent Kevin Cramer by 8.7 percent. Thatās why it was big news on Thursday when Heitkamp announced that she would vote ānoā on Brett Kavanaughās confirmation to the Supreme Court.
Almost immediately pundits took to Twitter in an attempt to divine the senatorās political calculations for her decision. But letās take a look at what she actually said. In her written statement, Heitkemp explained her decision with this:
In addition to the concerns about his past conduct, last Thursdayās hearing called into question Judge Kavanaughās current temperament, honesty, and impartiality. These are critical traits for any nominee to serve on the highest court in our countryā¦
When I listened to Dr. Ford testify, I heard the voices of women Iāve known throughout my life who have similar stories of sexual assault and abuse. Countless North Dakotans and others close to me have since reached out and told me their stories of being raped or sexually assaultedāand expressed the same anguish and fear. I am in awe of their courage, too.
It is clear that Sen. Heitkampālike almost every woman in this countryāhas been emotionally affected by the events of the last couple of weeks.
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Watch an emotional Heidi Heitkamp on why she’s NO on #Kavanaugh pic.twitter.com/P1e1UgX0UO
ā Jason K. Morrell (@CNNJason) October 4, 2018
Once again we get a reminder that women all over this country are talking, crying, and sharing their stories with each other and their loved ones. Some of them are even reaching out to senators to tell them their stories. That is the part of Heitkampās statement that stood out to me. Even for someone where a decision like this could mean the end of her political career, the reaction to these stories (and perhaps even her own experience) is so strong that it outweighs all other concerns.
On Thursday, this is the group of Republican senators that held a press conference on the Kavanaugh confirmation process:
Nice cross-sections of voices in this presser pic.twitter.com/UKoB02uIQO
ā Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) October 4, 2018
Iām pretty certain that those guys arenāt being flooded with the kind of stories Sen. Heitkamp has been hearing. And from what weāve seen, even if that were happening, they wouldnāt really listen. Thatās why they are clueless about the shit-storm theyāve stirred up all across this country. Living in a world of privilege will do that to you.
