GOP Gets Top Recruit  Kevin Cramer  To Run In Key North Dakota Senate Race : NPR
Kevin Cramer
North Dakota Rep. Kevin Cramer  has reversed course and will challenge Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp  finally giving Republicans a top recruit in a state that President Trump won by more than 30 points and making it a prime pickup opportunity for the GOP in 2018.
On Facebook   Cramer  posted  he  will be announcing  his  Senate candidacy on Friday in Bismarck.
 Cramer  had initially said last month  he  wouldn't be challenging Heitkamp  leaving Republicans without a top-tier candidate against what should be one of Democrats' most vulnerable incumbents this year  serving in a consistently red state. The White House even reached out to  Cramer  to woo  him  to jump into the contest  but initially  he  elected instead to remain in  his  safe House seat.
But in recent days  he  began to waver on that initial decision. "There's certainly a growing snowball of encouragement coming out of the state  " Cramer  told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday  according to CNN.
Former state party chairman Gary Emineth announced earlier this week he was dropping out of the Senate primary  in anticipation that  Cramer  was going to run. The Atlantic also reported that if  Cramer  did run for Senate  state Sen. Tom Campbell  the other major candidate in the race  was likely to run for  Cramer 's open House seat instead  clearing the primary field for the congressman.
 His  change of heart is a bright spot for Senate Republicans who have struggled to find top recruits in other states as well  despite being blessed with a very favorable 2018 map where 10 Democrats are up for re-election in states that Trump won. Republicans hold just a narrow 51-49 Senate majority  and they have two vulnerable seats they're defending in Nevada and Arizona.
[TGT] has reversed course and will challenge Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp  finally giving Republicans a top recruit in a state that President Trump won by more than 30 points and making it a prime pickup opportunity for the GOP in 2018.
On Facebook    [TGT] posted   [TGT]   will be announcing   [TGT]   Senate candidacy on Friday in Bismarck.
  [TGT] had initially said last month   [TGT]   wouldn't be challenging Heitkamp  leaving Republicans without a top-tier candidate against what should be one of Democrats' most vulnerable incumbents this year  serving in a consistently red state. The White House even reached out to  Cramer  to woo  him  to jump into the contest  but initially  he  elected instead to remain in  his  safe House seat.
But in recent days  he  began to waver on that initial decision. "There's certainly a growing snowball of encouragement coming out of the state  "  [TGT] told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday  according to CNN.
Former state party chairman Gary Emineth announced earlier this week he was dropping out of the Senate primary  in anticipation that   [TGT] was going to run. The Atlantic also reported that if   [TGT] did run for Senate  state Sen. Tom Campbell  the other major candidate in the race  was likely to run for   [TGT]  's open House seat instead  clearing the primary field for the congressman.
 His  change of heart is a bright spot for Senate Republicans who have struggled to find top recruits in other states as well  despite being blessed with a very favorable 2018 map where 10 Democrats are up for re-election in states that Trump won. Republicans hold just a narrow 51-49 Senate majority  and they have two vulnerable seats they're defending in Nevada and Arizona.