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The heartland used to be a stronghold hold for the Democratic party. Heidi Heitkamp, Byron Dorgan, Kent Conrad, Bob Kerrey, Tom Daschle, and many more delivered results for the people in the heartland for so long. But many now believe that the Democratic Party cannot compete in rural America. In 2004, 6 of 8 Senate seats in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska were held by Democrats. Today, that number is 0. We can win this election if we run good campaigns with the funding needed to get our message out. Hopefully, our victory would outline a path for Democrats to compete in these states once again and end the paralysis in Washington. After reading this, we hope you would deem the campaign worthy of a financial contribution.
What The Campaign Accomplished
The campaign is going incredibly well due to hard work from the candidate and staff. Due to hard work from the candidate and staff, in the 65 days since we launched the campaign, Katrina has:
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Raised more money than all of her run last cycle combined. The campaign has had over 3,000 contributions, averaging $45. Katrina isn't taking one penny of corporate P.A.C. money, either.
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Earned 57 endorsements from elected officials in North Dakota
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Had 42 earned media articles published about the campaign
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A viral video that had 2.5 million views in 48 hours. Watch here!
We are approaching our first End-of-quarter fundraising deadline. We are closing in on the fundraising record for the first quarter of a Democratic challenger in North Dakota. We are aiming to raise $200,000. After reading this article, we hope you can contribute to our campaign.
Importance of Competing in North Dakota to Hold the Senate
As a result of Senator Manchin's retirement, Democrats need every incumbent to win re-election to retain the Senate majority, with just 50 seats. There are limited opportunities for Democrats to go on offense against incumbent Republican Senators. If we raise $6 million, we can win this race. North Dakota provides a unique pickup opportunity in a dirt-cheap state that has long been held by a Democrat, running against an unpopular incumbent who has lost three times before in North Dakota and is not a good fundraiser.
Background
Katrina Christiansen is running for U.S. Senate in North Dakota in 2024 and just released her launch video. Katrina resides in Jamestown, North Dakota, where she raises her family and is proud to call home. Katrina is a product of rural America who lived the American Dream. She grew up in Pender, Nebraska, a town of 1,115 people. When she was young, her family lost the farm. Her dad was a laborer who was constantly struggling to get by. Katrina grew up with the help of federal programs like Head Start, Food Stamps, and W.I.C. Through hard work and determination, she was her high school class valedictorian and earned her Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering from Iowa State University. Her work focuses on value-added sorghum processing and biofuel production economics and yields, and she holds three patents for her research work.
Katrina is an engineering professor at the University of Jamestown, molding future engineers. Her dedication stretches beyond the classroom; she's running for Senate to tirelessly advocate for working-class North Dakotans in the Senate — farmers, laborers, essential workers, and the land itself.
Why We Can Win
Democrats must hold the Senate and know the 2024 Senate map is daunting. That is why we believe we must compete in every state that has a history of electing Democrats, especially a very cheap one like North Dakota. This seat was Sen. Heitkamp's and was held by a Democrat from 1960-2018. We are running against Kevin Cramer, an unpopular official who has lost three times before in the state and cosponsored the federal abortion ban. Senator Cramer is a vulnerable incumbent who does not have a good track record in North Dakota.
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He is a career politician who has previously lost three statewide races in North Dakota. Polling from 538 also shows he has the worst approval rating of any statewide elected in North Dakota.
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His current F.E.C. filing shows that he only has $1.9 million cash on hand, indicating financial challenges. An underwhelming fundraiser, he raised less than $6 million in his 2018 race.
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He has a terrible voting record! He voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act five times, voted against capping insulin at $35 a month for seniors and supports a federal abortion ban.
Despite its conservative bend, North Dakota has a strong history of electing Democrats. We can compete in North Dakota if we run credible, well-funded, effective campaigns that give voters a choice, and the data proves it.
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This was Sen. Heitkamp's seat five years ago, who won her Senate race in a Presidential year.
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From 1986-2010, Democrats held every seat in North Dakota's Congressional delegation.
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From 1960-2018, this U.S. Senate seat was held by a Democrat.
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Since 2010, only three Democratic nominees for statewide office in the Dakotas have raised more
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than $3.5 million. They earned 50, 48, and 45 percent of the vote.
The Senate race in North Dakota provides arguably the highest return on investment for any U.S. Senate race this cycle. North Dakota has some of the cheapest media markets in the nation, presenting a cost-effective opportunity to get our message out. At a time when other Senate races will cost over $50 million to win, if we raise $6 million, we can make this race competitive.
Senator Tester said in his book, "Montana is a conservative state that will always vote for a Republican, unless we give them reason to vote for a Democrat." We can compete in North Dakota once again if we give them reasons to vote for us, which Republicans in Washington are giving us ample opportunities to do. If you'd like to contribute, donate here. Thank you so much for your support.