Exclusive–Kevin Cramer: Brett Kavanaugh Matches ‘Perfectly’ with Expectations of North Dakotans

Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) told Breitbart News in an exclusive statement on Saturday that President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh matches “perfectly” with the majority of North Dakotans who want to confirm him.

A poll released this week found that 60 percent of registered voters in North Dakota want Judge Kavanaugh confirmed to the Supreme Court, compared to only 23 percent who do not support the president’s nominee. The overwhelming support North Dakotans have for Judge Kavanaugh puts significant pressure on Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) to support the president’s nominee.

Sen. Heitkamp met with Kavanaugh last week and said that she will continue “reviewing his record” as the Senate Judiciary Committee moves towards its confirmation hearings starting September 4.

The North Dakota Democrat broke with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) last year and voted with Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Joe Donnelly (D-IN) to confirm then-Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.

Heitkamp faces a competitive race against her Republican challenger, Rep. Cramer. A recent poll found that Cramer already leads by four points ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

Given the increasingly tight race between Heitkamp and Cramer, Sen. Heitkamp told Breitbart News that she has “always supported increased” border security and wall funding and that she remains open to more border wall funding in the September spending bill.

Tim Rasmussen, the communications director for Cramer’s Senate campaign, told Breitbart News in a statement on Saturday that Kavanaugh is a “winning selection” for North Dakota.

“Judge Kavanaugh has consistently identified overreach from the federal government and ruled toward state rights, particularly within the EPA.  He has vast environmental law experience and has been involved in a number of issues including complex air cases and highly technical Federal Energy Regulatory Commission claims,” Rasmussen explained to Breitbart News.

“He is strongly committed to the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution and holds tight to the concept of the constitutional separation of powers to ensure government accountability. These values more than qualify him to serve on the highest court in the land and match perfectly with the expectations of the majority of North Dakotans. For these reasons he is a winning selection for our state as confirmed by the polling results,” Rasmussen added.

Schumer suggested in July that vulnerable Senate Democrats should hold off on their decision whether to support Kavanaugh as long as possible.

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) said, “All Chuck ever says in caucus [meetings], it’s pretty well known: ‘Keep your powder dry. Don’t commit. Stay as neutral as you can, as long as you can.”