© 2026 ABC News

In North Dakota, Republicans in the state have seized on Heitkamp's vote against Kavanaugh in the hopes of boosting Rep. Kevin Cramer, saying the Senator \"betrayed North Dakotans,\" by voting against Kavanaugh.

Heitkamp has defended her vote against Kavanaugh in deeply personal terms, emphasizing her work as North Dakota Attorney General and recounting her late mother's experience as a sexual assault victim.

\"PHOTO:
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images
PHOTO: Sen. Heidi Heitkamp speaks during the Senate Democrats news conference on tax reform in the Capitol, Nov. 28, 2017.
>

\"When I served as North Dakota’s Attorney General, I helped implement the original Violence Against Women Act and I saw how it helped survivors and victims across my state,\" Heitkamp wrote in a statement last week announcing her opposition to Kavanaugh's confirmation, \"My lifetime of work, advocacy, and commitment to these issues, and to these women and girls, helped inform my decision today.\"

Cramer has also taken criticism for his comments during the Kavanaugh fight when he questioned whether the accusations, even if they proved true, should \"disqualify\" Kavanaugh.

Following her no vote on Kavanaugh, Sen. Heitkamp told ABC News that they have had 500 new volunteers sign up to help with her campaign, a further sign that the political effect on the race is still unclear with less than a month until Election Day.

In a fundraising e-mail to supporters, Heitkamp's colleague Sen. Patty Murray of Washington State said the vote epitomizes her political independence, an important commodity for a Democrat running a state Donald Trump won by more than 30 points in the 2016 election.

\"Heidi Heitkamp took a courageous stand against Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation and is now facing a tough re-election battle next month in North Dakota,\" Murray wrote, \"She did what she knew was right and didn’t worry about the political consequences or the attacks that would come her way, which is something we see far too infrequently in politics these days.\"

While both parties now turn their attention to the final campaign sprint, there is a possibility that the Kavanaugh fight could also fade in the minds of voters.

\"It’s impossible to say which party’s emotions will endure to election day. Maybe both will. Maybe neither will,\" Sabato added, \"After all, a month in the Trump presidency is worth six months of an earlier administration. So much news comes at us, so fast.\"

ABC News' MaryAlice Parks contributed to this story

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/democrats-republicans-capitalize-post-kavanaugh-midterm-landscape/story?id=58361855","legacySlug":"/news/story/democrats-republicans-capitalize-post-kavanaugh-midterm-landscape-58361855","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"16:18","publishDate":"10-09-2018","updatedTime":"16:19","updatedDate":"10-09-2018","socialImage":{"alt":"Mitch McConnell talks to reporters after the Senate voted to confirm Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh at the U.S. Capitol October 06, 2018, in Washington. | Nancy Pelosi rallies support for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford in the Rayburn Room in the U.S. Capitol September 26, 2018 in Washington.","credit":"Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/pelosi-mcconnell-01-as-gty-181008_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"10/9/2018 16:18:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":58361855,"headline":"In midterms, parties seize on Kavanaugh fight","mediaAssetTitle":"Kavanaugh political fallout","description":"Democrats and Republicans believe the Kavanaugh fight galvanized midterm voters.","duration":"1:55","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/10/181008_vod_orig_trump_kavanaugh_accusers_evil_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132306053","132266872","132055565"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 15, 2026","headline":"American influencer found dead in Tanzania","section":"News","slug":"/video/132055565","id":"132055565","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"In midterms, parties seize on Kavanaugh fight","description":"Democrats and Republicans believe the Kavanaugh fight galvanized midterm voters.","duration":"1:55","uploadDate":"10-09-2018","publication":"10-09-2018","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/10/181008_vod_orig_trump_kavanaugh_accusers_evil_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/10/181008_vod_orig_trump_kavanaugh_accusers_evil_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/democrats-republicans-capitalize-post-kavanaugh-midterm-landscape-58361855"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"In midterms, parties seize on Kavanaugh fight","pubTime":"12:18","pubDate":"10-09-2018","modTime":"12:19","modDate":"10-09-2018","taxonomyTags":"none","id":58361855,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"In midterms, parties seize on Kavanaugh fight","mediaAssetTitle":"Kavanaugh political fallout","videoId":58361855,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/democrats-republicans-capitalize-post-kavanaugh-midterm-landscape-58361855"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/58361855","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/58361855","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};