Good evening, I’m Ben Jacobs with the latest from Washington and beyond. If you’re not already receiving the politics minute by email, sign up.
Kevin Cramer says #MeToo is about victimization
Kevin Cramer, the Republican Senate candidate in North Dakota, made controversial comments to the New York Times over the weekend. He said North Dakotans cannot understand this “movement toward victimization”, adding: “They are pioneers of the prairie. These are tough people whose grandparents were tough and great-grandparents were tough.” He added of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation fight, “the world got to see close up how ugly it can be when you go too far.”
Will this cause a backlash? Likely not, Cramer is known for making controversial off-the-cuff comments and has done so before about the confirmation fight surrounding Kavanaugh.
So how does Kavanaugh affect the race? Incumbent Heidi Heitkamp, who previously voted for Neil Gorsuch, voted against Kavanaugh. In a race where polling now consistently has her facing a double-digit deficit against Cramer, Republicans pointed to her vote as a defiant parting shot by a rival facing long odds.
Arizona Senate candidates hide from reporters
Arizona has one of the most competitive Senate races in the country where two congresswomen are facing off in a race crucial for control of the Senate. But while Democrat Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Martha McSally may disagree on most issues, they do agree on one thing, avoiding the media, as noted by the Arizona Republic.
What this means. It’s yet another touchstone of how politics has changed in recent decades with politicians increasingly avoiding the mainstream media. The contrast is particularly striking in Arizona, which had long been represented by John McCain, who was notoriously accessible.
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