Heidi Heitkamp

Heidi Heitkamp, born on October 30, 1955, is a prominent American politician and lawyer who made history as the first woman elected to Congress from North Dakota. Her political career began with her role as the 20th tax commissioner from nineteen eighty-six to nineteen ninety-two, followed by her tenure as the 28th state attorney general from nineteen ninety-two to two thousand.

In the 2012 election, Heitkamp declared her candidacy for the U.S. Senate, succeeding the retiring Kent Conrad. She won a closely contested race against Republican Congressman Rick Berg, marking her as North Dakota's second female senator and the first woman to hold a Senate seat from the state. However, her time in the Senate came to an end in two thousand eighteen when she was defeated by Republican Kevin Cramer in her reelection bid.

After her Senate career, Heitkamp transitioned to roles in media and academia, becoming a CNBC contributor and a visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics. In April two thousand nineteen, she co-founded the One Country Project with Senator Joe Donnelly, aiming to bridge the gap between Democrats and rural voters. As of January two thousand twenty-three, she took on the role of director at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, a position she held until November two thousand twenty-five.