Heitkamp gives cautious answer on backing Reid as leader

Democrat Heidi Heitkamp was cautious when asked whether she would back Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) if elected to the Senate in North Dakota.

“When I get to the Senate, I’ll make those decisions,” Heitkamp told The Hill in an interview Thursday. “Today my goal is to visit with North Dakotans, find out what their concerns are, tell them what I believe and what I think is important.”

Heitkamp’s spokesman reached out later to say that she would vote for Reid. And Heitkamp personally followed up to clarify that what she meant was that it wasn’t a topic she had thought about.

"My response was more that the question is premature. We don't know if Harry Reid is running,” Heitkamp said. “I assume that if Harry Reid is running again, he's going to be the only person running. I intend to be part of the Democratic caucus."

Reid enjoys broad support from Senate Democrats and is likely to retain his leadership post if Democrats hold the Senate.

But the issue of whether to express support for national Democrats is tricky for Democratic candidates running in conservative-leaning states.

Heitkamp has indicated general support for President Obama, but has criticized him publicly on multiple occasions — particularly on energy issues and leadership ability.

Emphasizing how toxic Republicans believe the association with prominent Democrats could be, Heitkamp’s likely opponent, Rep. Rick Berg (R-N.D.), called on her Thursday to denounce an attack ad “made by her Democrat ally and donor, Senator Harry Reid.”

The ad by Majority PAC, a super-PAC that Reid is supporting, criticizes Berg for voting to protect tax breaks for big oil companies, then accepting large amounts of money from the oil industry.

Berg’s campaign said the ad disparages the North Dakota energy that Heitkamp says she supports. Heitkamp’s team said Berg was attempting to distract from his voting record in the House and in the state legislature.

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