Former North Dakota Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp is out with a new ad touting her work to protect the state's farmers against a federal-government "land grab" while she was in office.
In the ad the Democratic Senate candidate touts her bipartisan bona fides, and plays up opposition to federal involvement in land use during President Clinton's administration, a major issue for farmers and ranchers and a way to give her some distance from the Obama administration's environmental policies, which are highly unpopular in the state.
"It was a government land grab and it happened when I was attorney general. The federal government tried to misuse environmental easements to try to take over North Dakota farmland and put farmers in prison. It wasn't right and I beat the government in court. I'm Heidi Heitkamp and I approve this message because we need a senator who will put partisan politics aside and do what's right for North Dakota."
Heitkamp is running a strong race against Rep. Rick Berg (R-N.D.) in the Republican-leaning state, helped by high name recognition and personal popularity. This isn't the first time she's broken with her party on environmental issues: She also vocally criticized Obama's decision to delay construction on the Keystone XL oil and gas pipeline.
The Hill rates this race a "toss-up."
