“The democratic party has lost the ability to communicate in rural America. We’re trying to figure out how we can better explain policies to rural America, but also how we can better explain rural America to urban America.”
Former Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) joins the podcast to discuss where American politics are right now. She and Daniel talk about her roots in a big working-class family in a small town in North Dakota, her early passion for public service and leadership, and how maybe Americans really are more united than we might think. Can we get back to that place where Republicans and Democrats have passionate political debates over coffee and then go hang the Christmas lights together, as Senator Heitkamp says? The conversation also includes an informative and moving discussion of Native American peoples and their many continued plights in North Dakota and the country.
U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp served as the first female senator elected from North Dakota from 2013-2019. Senator Heitkamp grew up in a large family in the small town of Mantador, ND. Alongside her six brothers and sisters, she learned the value of hard work and responsibility, leading her to choose a life of public service. During her six years in the U.S. Senate, Senator Heitkamp quickly became a proven senator who worked across the aisle to fight for North Dakotans. Senator Heitkamp personally showed that if senators work together, it can lead to real solutions. Throughout her time in public service, Senator Heitkamp has stood up for tribal communities and worked to improve outcomes for Native American children, women, and families. The first bill she introduced in the Senate, which became law in 2016, created a Commission on Native Children. Her bill with former Senator John McCain became law to create Amber Alerts in Indian Country. She introduced Savanna’s Act to help address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women. And she worked to help address the detrimental impact exposure to trauma can have on children and families – particularly those in Native communities. On the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Senator Heitkamp pushed to provide training and resources for first responders and also worked to combat human trafficking in North Dakota, across the country, and around the world. She helped write legislation, which was signed into law, to crack down on trafficking online, which led to the closure of Backpage.com. Senator Heitkamp previously served as North Dakota’s Attorney General, battling drug dealers, protecting senior citizens from scams, and working to keep sexual predators off streets and away from kids, even after their prison terms were up. Senator Heitkamp received a B.A. from the University of North Dakota and a law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School. She currently serves as a contributor to CNBC, She lives in Mandan, North Dakota with her husband, Dr. Darwin Lange, a family practitioner. They have two children, Ali and Nathan.
