$12 million in 17 days

Heitkamp raised $12 million in 17 days after opposing Kavanaugh

Heitkamp’s haul in that short period was more than three times what she raised in the previous three months.

By MAGGIE SEVERNS

North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp raised $12.4 million during the first two-and-a-half weeks of October, a new disclosure showed, a spike in fundraising that coincided with the Democrat’s high-profile decision to vote against Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

Heitkamp’s haul in that short period was more than three times what the senator had raised during the previous fundraising quarter, when she brought in $3.7 million over three months.

The disclosure filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission indicated that after Heitkamp announced her decision to vote against confirming Kavanaugh, the number of donors to her campaign spiked. While Heitkamp received an average of 221 donations a day in early October, she received an average of more than 3,000 donations per day on and after Oct. 4, the day she said she would vote no.

Kavanaugh was narrowly confirmed after facing accusations that he engaged in sexual misconduct as a high school and college student. Nearly every Senate Democrat voted against him. Heitkamp, who was considered a key swing vote and is in a close race with Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer, said in announcing her decision to vote against Kavanaugh that the Senate was sending “a poignant signal to young girls and women across our country.”

“In an outpouring of support for civil and principled politics, Heidi’s received nearly 15,000 contributions this cycle from every corner of our state and 3,000 new volunteers in just the last few weeks,” said Heitkamp spokesperson Sean Higgins. “It's simple — while Kevin Cramer will always fall in line with Mitch McConnell and the special interests, Heidi will always work across the aisle and only answer to North Dakotans.”

At the time, Heitkamp’s decision to vote against Kavanaugh gave Republicans more hope that they could reclaim her seat and potentially bolster their Senate majority in November’s midterms.

“This race is now between a candidate who will be a voice for North Dakota and another candidate who politicizes every issue and staunchly opposes President Trump at every turn," Jake Wilkins, spokesman for the North Dakota GOP, said after Heitkamp announced her vote on the nomination.

Cramer reported raising $603,345 during the first 17 days of October, dramatically less than Heitkamp’s take, and the Republican entered the final days of the campaign with $976,045 cash on hand. Heitkamp ended the reporting period with about $11 million on hand.