What's Next for Byron Dorgan's Senate Seat?
Whomever Democrats put on the ballot this fall is expected to face stiff competition from Republican Gov. John Hoeven, who has indicated he is interested in running for the opening seat and should be formally announcing his intentions within the next two weeks, Politico reports. Even Dorgan, who has served in the Senate since 1992, would have faced a strong challenge from Hoeven, who beat him by 22 points in a December Rasmussen poll of likely North Dakota voters.
In spite of the fact that North Dakota is currently represented by two Democrats, the state still has a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R +10, meaning that the GOP received 10 percentage points more votes than the national average in the last two presidential elections. Sean Trende of the RealClearPolitics blog called Dorgan's seat "a very likely Senate pickup for Republicans... whether or not Hoeven runs."
Trende names the few Democrats in the state who could try to replace Dorgan: Congressman Earl Pomeroy, Superintendent of Public Instruction Wayne Sanstead and State Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson. "It's hard to imagine any of these Democrats, with the possible exception of Pomeroy... doing any better than Dorgan was," Trende writes.
Unfortunately for the Democrats, Pomeroy has reportedly said he will not run for the Senate seat.
"I'll go to North Dakota if necessary" to find a candidate, Sen. Bob Menendez, the leader of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told USA Today.
He may have a candidate in progressive MSNBC talk show host Ed Schultz, whose home state is North Dakota. North Dakota House Minority Leader Merle Boucher reportedly called Schultz Tuesday night to ask him to consider a bid.
"I asked him very point-blank if this was an official ask." Schultz said, the Huffington Post reports. "He said, 'Yes it is'. I'm flattered. I'm honored."
Earlier in the evening, Schultz received a call from Dorgan himself.
Other potential Democratic candidates include former Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp and Heitkamp's brother Joel, a former state senator and host of a popular radio show, reports CQ Politics. A Facebook page supporting a bid from Heidi Heitkamp has already garnered more than 700 fans.
As the party searches for a good candidate, some Democratic voters are pleading for Dorgan to stay in office. The Progressive Change Committee advocacy group has started an online petition that already has more than 1,000 signatures that reads, "Senator Dorgan -- don't retire! We need people like you in the Senate, fighting for the little guy against corporate power. Please keep fighting for us, and we'll fight for you."