heitkamp: let's be honest. over the last six years i have met with thousands of north dakotans and have been engaging with many people. i remind them six years ago i said, i am going to go to washington, d.c. and i am going to do everything that i can to hopefully change the culture and work across the aisle to actually benefit the people of my great state. i think i've done that. and how i know how that works is i grew up in a small town. a town of 90 people. and every small town in america there is a table at lunch time. that table is full of people. they don't always agree. they may argue politics atlanta may be democrats, probably more -- there may be democrats. probably more republicans at that table in north dakota. they figure out how to put up the christmas lights. they figure out how to buy the fire truck. they figure out how to fix the roof on the church. they don't always agree but they get the job done because they know how to talk to each other and be respectful. we've been extraordinarily successf

and senator heitkamp is opposed. sen. heitkamp: can i say something?e mentioned all of the politicians, republican politicians supporting the plans. guess who didn't? the north dakota hospital association, the physicians association, all of the patient protections. the aarp. there was not one group in north dakota other than the republican party and officials who supported any of the plans for replacement. [applause] rep. cramer: those officials who were elected by large margins by the people of north dakota, not the associations. the people of north dakota. when you work for a lobbyist instead of the patients, the people, small businesses that hire people, that is when you start thinking group think like chuck schumer instead of how people think like the people i am looking at here. [booing] [applause] sen. heitkamp: can i just have one? one more bite at the apple. that a honestly saying governor and a congressman and a senator know more about providing health care than the hospital associations and the medical associations and the aarp? that is ridic

heitkamp: i did. mr. cramer: not only was that not what we requested, when it goes to the legislature, that is the salary range for every state employee. it is at the most the cost of living increase. i could give it away, who knows, i may be due, i don't know, i don't announce those sorts of things to do suggest you should say no, don't give us a pay raise, i am so noble i would not take it, you always took your pay raise as a senator. you always took them. i will use my minute to say number one, pay increases are an indicator of how self-interested you are in the job that you are doing and so i will ask my question, you have mitch mcconnell who is going to cut social security and medicare and today, you said or yesterday you said, that is courageous, cutting medicare and social security is courageous and you also said in a rare moment where you disagreed with the president, you said you disagreed with the president and says to social security and medicare, how can our seniors trust that you are going to

and heidi heitkamp did in 2012. and strong native american support for heidi heitkamp in north dakota is a big reason why right now there is a democratic held u.s. senate seat from that red state. and the closest of heitkamp's last race, the crucial support that she got from native american voters, that did not escape notice among republicans. and in particular, among republicans who are now making decisions about whose going to be allowed to vote this next time and who might find it exceedingly difficult to vote this next time. and you may be noticing a sort of theme these days in the news, right? we're 22 days out from the midterm elections as of right now. late last week we reported a story out of waller county, texas. waller county is a county that is about 70% white, but it's also home to a historically black college, prairie view a&m, where the student body is over 80% black. under constitutional law, under crystal clear supreme court precedent, college students are allowed to vote wherever they live, which in

it led heitkamp to mention her own mother's experience with sexual assault.nd heitkamp voted against brett kavanaugh's appointment to the supreme court. now heitkamp on defense with this huge, huge mistake. >> rebecca, thank you for that. >> coming up, why the first lady's office is calling for a boycott of rapper t.i. >> and last night why one candidate is now accusing her opponent of treason. ♪ ok here we go guys, you ready? hi! cinturones por favor. gracias. opportunity is everywhere. ♪ it's gonna be fine. it's a door... ♪ it's doing a lot of kicking down there. waiting to be opened. ♪ whatever your ambition... ♪ whatever your drive... ♪ whatever you're chasing... driver, are we almost there? we're gonna have a baby! ♪ daddy! daddy! opportunity is everywhere. ♪ all you have to do to find it is get out... here. ♪ their medicare options...e people go to learn about before they're on medicare. come on in. you're turning 65 soon? yep. and you're retiring at 67? that's the plan! well, you've come to the right place. it's also a great time to learn about an aarp

cramer, heitkamp's challenger, said they cannot understand this movement toward victimization. they are pioneers of the prairie. these are tough people whose grandparents were tough and great-grandparents were tough. in an interview at a scandinavian festival in rutland, north dakota, heitkamp reacted angily to his assessment of women who say they've been sexually assaulted. quote, it did not make my mom less strong that she was a victim. she was strong and made us strong, and to suggest that this movement doesn't make women stronger is really unfortunate. sabrina, those are the kinds of two conversations going on right now. >> it's worth noting that heidi heitkamp's opponent, this isn't the first controversial remark he's made with respect to brett kavanaugh. he also was in headlines just a couple weeks ago for stating that even if dr. christine blasey ford's allegations were true, it should not disqualify judge kavanaugh from being confirmed to the supreme court, because ultimately the attempted rape did not go anywhere. i think that it really does reinforce, though, the dyna

our next question goes to senator heitkamp.ause] may i ask the audience to please refrain, if you can, from applause and hold it til the end? thank you. senator heitkamp, our relations with saudi arabia may have been frayed by the murder of a new york times columnist. it has some in congress calling for sanctions against that country. do we need to impose sanctions, or is there something else the u.s. should do in this situation? be. >> i don't think it could be clearer that we absolutely need to take direct and immediate action against the crown prince. i think that we have been lied to repeatedly about what actually happened. i think the president knows that. i think, certainly, the head of the cia knows it and the turks know it. and if we do not, if we do not immediately react in a way that has consequences for saudi arabia, what's message to the rest of -- what's the message to the rest of the world? that you can take an american-based reporter and brutalize them and murder him, and there's no consequences for what? because

>> heitkamp: i did. i didn't find the information there particularly enlightening. >> collins: even after the f.b.i. has interviewed everyone whom dr. ford has named as present that horrible night that she remembers, every single one of them, including her best friend, has no recollection of anything like this. >> pelley: democrat heitkamp and republican collins often meet in the middle on common ground they also share a political vulnerability. heitkamp is a democrat in conservative north dakota. collins is a republican in a state with many independent- minded voters. your decision is not going to play well back home in maine. >> collins: that is likely true. i did not try to weigh a political calculus to this decision. it's too important for that. i just had to do what i think is right. >> pelley: a website went up over these last couple of weeks collecting funds for whoever your opponent may be in 2020. and the deal was that if you voted for kavanaugh, then the credit card pledges would be processed.

now senator heitkamp has a choice.h president trump, judge kavanaugh and all who thought this was a national disgrace or stand with them. tell heidi heitkamp you'll never forget how she votes. >> polls show heidi heitkamp trailing in her re-election campaign to her republican challenger. but she said she kept politics out of her decision. >>, you know, the easiest thing in the world for me would have been take a yes vote, get this over with. that would -- would presumably be -- make my path to re-election easier. i didn't come here to do the easy thing. i came here to do the right thing. >> senator heitkamp offered two reasons she is voting against brett kavanaugh. the first is that she believes dr. christine blasey ford. >> i believe dr. ford. i believe her story. i found her testimony to be incredibly credible. and i found his presentation to lack the impartiality and the judicial temperament that i have come to expect from a supreme court justice. >> politically brave votes are rare in the united states senate. some

i think that's wrong. >> for now, heitkamp is determined to be herself. when a band plays, she grabs the mic. ♪ you are my sunshine my only sunshine ♪ >> reporter: in north dakota, everyone who lives there is automatically registered to vote. but today, just a reminder, the registration deadline in 15 other states to be eligible to vote in the mid terms. so just a reminder for you for voting. >>> president trump is speaking right this very moment about possible replacements for u.s. ambassador to the u.n., nikki haley. so we'll turn that around for you and you can hear from the president yourself. also ahead, we've got to talk about this hurricane. hurricane michael barreling toward the florida panhandle. it could be the strongest storm to hit that area in more than a decade. so we'll show you when and where it is expected to make landfall. billions of mouths. billions of problems. morning breath? garlic breath? stinky breath? there's a therabreath for you. therabreath fresh breath oral rinse instantly fights all types of bad breath and works for 24 hours

he is ahead in his race, whereas heitkamp has been behind. thing we folks on democrats so now we focus on a democrat, biggest thing to remember, collins, flake, murkowski. those three, if they are for kavanaugh, what they said, especially flake and collins -- >> then it doesn't matter. >> because that's 51 republicans and it doesn't matter what joe manchin does and it doesn't matter that heidi heitkamp is again it. >> is it surprising that she put herself out there not knowing where the others stood or do you think she knows something we don't? >> always possible she knows something i don't. let's leave it at that. i'm a little bit surprised in that i thought the democrats might wait to see where the three republicans went first. i never thought heidi heitkamp was going to be the 50th vote to confirm brett kavanaugh. same reason i don't think joe manchin will be the 50th vote. if they are the decider and two republicans say no and they need that democratic vote to confirm them, heidi heitkamp is not going to be that person, joe manchin is not

heitkamp has said she is voting no. manchin hasn't said yet.ou putting pressure on them to fully explain what anywhere positi -- their positions are and make a decision? >> i believe that we are dial leag dialogue with colleagues to say that you have at various points said your vote will depend on whether he was honest with the committee. and on whether there is a fair investigation of the stories that these women brought forward. and by all evidence, both those tests are failed. there was not a comprehensive fair examination of corroborating information for these women. they have been treated horrifically. and so that is bhais basically hope that this dialogue can continue with our colleagues and that some will have the courage to stand up and say no, you know, he is not fit. and we're not voting for him. >> senator, good to talk to you again. i think twice in 12 hours. as i speak, other senators are still reviewing the fbi's report on brett kavanaugh's background investigation. i'll speak with a former fbi senior official about that process.

. >> we need vanessa kevin cramero replace heidi heitkamp. >> woodruff: heitkamp is hoping that voters see her as soone who works with the president at times but independent of both parties. >> woodruff: stay with us, coming up on the newshour: a conversation with afghanistan's chief executive on the state of his nation and presidential historian doris kearns goodwin discusses "leadership in turbulent times." now, one state's plan to counter an aging workforce by helping students reduce their debt level. hari sreenivasan has a report tonight on what maine is promising college graduates if they agree to live and work in the ate. for the next four tuesdays, we'll be looking at different ways of "rethinking college," a periodic series we do for our weekly segment on "making the e ade." >> sreenivasan: ma famous for noisy gulls and fishing ports, end les miles of rocky coastline, lighthouses that seem made for postcards and, oscourse, the ctacean that is dipped in butter and served up for a luxurious dinner. but the state is also known for having the oldest population in the median age her

could heidi heitkamp lose the seat after voting no?> reporter: heidi heitkamp having fun, walking in a classic north dakota parade. >> hi there. >> hi. >> reporter: her smile masks her political reality. she's the most endangered senate democrat. and those voting against brett kavanaugh probably didn't help. >> it's been a tough week for me. the political rhetoric is, you can't vote that way if you expect to come back. and i tell people, my parents didn't raise me to vote a certain way so i could win. they raised me to vote the right way. >> reporter: applause here, but elsewhere, reminders that president trump carried the state by 36 points. >> i don't know how we're going to ever get over that. >> you're obviously a north dakota voter, you're disappointed with her vote against kavanaugh? >> yes. >> her republican challenger well ahead in the polls, said he was shocked. >> i really fully expected her to vote yes. >> why? >> she had been building her entire brand as the bipartisan senator from north dakota. >> she voted for gorsuch and

but heitkamp's own polls actually had her ahead.that she is down, now, it is not much hope for her in this race. >> what's the next story? >> i think there are key numbers from the poll. number one, his approval rating among registered voters is higher than all voters. 43% among registered voters. that's key because not eight all adults will turn out to vote in the election. he is given more of a boost to republicans nationwide. i will point out if his approval rate can go get north of 45% then it is a very, very different ball game and we still have a month to go. we are right in the margin of error where hey maybe if he gets higher he won't be that harmful for republicans nationwide. >> our poll is not alone here in showing the numbers going up. >> a gallup poll has him up just lick our poll among registered voters does. that's what i look at. is our poll an outlier? it wasn't last month when it dropped and it is not an outlier as it goes back up. since the second world war we know that when a president's approval rating is below

heitkamp: the most amazing piece of doubletalk i have ever heard. so let's get real we know that the plan all along was to cut social security and cut medicare and it was done because we have a party that never believed in medicare for these programs and they continue to believe that our seniors should live in poverty instead of giving the money but when you call these programs entitlements it is an insult to every citizen that earns those benefits. >> here we are at the end of each have two minutes for closing statements starting with t five. >> thank you to the newspaper association for your involvement a free society only works if you are involved. you have seen a spirited but fair debate tonight so one other major difference between senator heitkamp and me i will talk about those tough issues they will not solve themselves that's why as north dakota's only member of a body of 435 called the people's house i have had a six-year discussion with you in a most town halls of any member of congress. 200 talk radio shows every year with unscreened call

heidi heitkamp is apologising...t taking sexual abuse seriously enough contained the names of 130 women, all victims. but astonishingly, without getting consent for the publication of their names beforehand. cue full—scale contrition. the only thing i can do is say, i am so sorry. trump: you need a senator who doesn'tjust talk like they're from north dakota... the republican candidate is kevin cramer. his campaign is accusing heidi heitkamp of re—victimising the victims. well, it's just terrible for the individuals that have been identified by the campaign without their approval. does it affect the campaign, does it affect the race? 0h, absolutely. it'sjust shy of 1,500 miles from washington, dc to here in fargo, but the race here is being watched incredibly closely in the nation's capital. if the democrats have any chance of retaking the senate, they need to hold onto this state. but their chances of doing so have taken a massive blow with this colossal act of political ineptitude. at an event last night in fargo fo

they like that about heidi heitkamp. and i think there are a fair number of voters and say it was a vote of courage, a vote where she was voting against the easy politics of the moment and what the polls told her to do. so she gets credit for it in some quarters, but you also run into a lot of conservative voters in this state. it's a very red state. she's the only democrat statewide here, the state legislators, the governor, the other senator all republicans, and very republican. there are a lot of voters here, especially a lot of men we run into think it's disgusting she voted against kavanaugh and kavanaugh got railroaded. >> she is not backing away from the sexual assault issues raised by the kavanaugh hearing. let's take a look at the new ad that the heitkamp campaign is running. and this is an ad that's emerged after this controversy with the print ad. let's look at this. >> when he dismissed sexual assault. >> there was no type of intercourse or anything like that. nothing happened in term of a sexual event beyond

back with me joel heitkamp.e your face. >> good to be back with you. >> she's going to vote no. what's been the response in the last 24 hours since the news was announced? >> i do a regional talk show. heard all over the state. i was kind of shocked. i thought when i went into work today i was going to take a butt whooping but i didn't get there. it was about three to one of people that supported her choice and i have a very conservative listening audience. i was kind of surprised at the result. >> you believe still that despite the polling out there that shows her down quite a bit, she can still overcome it. i know she overcame a ten-point deficit in 2012. >> she did. she overcame a ten-point deficit. i don't believe it's 12 points. i'm pretty confident it's not. because she's my sister, i get to know things. ed in -- m.north dakota, it doesn't poll well. it's a whole different philosophy. this vote probably didn't help. you can't really spin that it helped. people are proud of her. i bet you she put her cell p

latest fox news poll put kramer ahead of heitkamp by 12 points. a month ago he was only up by four.eitkamp lost support among women and analysts say perhaps that is who the obama losing that. >> she exploited people for political gain. we invited her to speak with us, her campaign said she is in north dakota and unavailable but they said the campaign fired the staffer who worked on that letter but they did not name the staffer. reporting in washington, allison barber, fox news. >> we have a chance to become filthy rich. the powerball jackpot storing to $430 million after another night without a winner but we are going to give you the numbers anyway, 3, 50, 7, 64, 68, 69 and powerball of 15. the next drying is saturday and that is your next shot at big bucks. the mega millions jackpot $900 million drawing in tomorrow. we give you the numbers to see how close you got to winning. the time is 10 minutes after the top of the hour and answers are imminent, robert mueller ready to reveal his findings on the trump russia collusion claim after the midterms. we haven't following this from the

heitkamp: we all have a choice.e all make a choice every day, and when we make the right choice that reflects the values, the message that it sends to our kids and the message that it sends to our constituents is that we know how to conduct business, and we are all going to move together when we agree, and we may disagree, but we are going to move together for the betterment of our country and for our state. this question to congressman cramer. mr. cramer: i cannot improve on what was said. >> the president has announced the ending of a nuclear treaty russia, something president reagan signed. the president accuses russia of cheating. do you support the ending of the treaty? >> to be honest, at a personal level, i think the president might be acting prematurely. , it hasmmon knowledge been stated by nato and previous including recently, that russia has been cheating. one thing we know about donald trump, he does not like cheaters. he is not afraid to confront them. one of the problems we have is previous presidents

what is hidety heitkamp doing? huss what is the message to the tribal voters saying, listen democrats only care about us when they are in a pickle. how is she going to solve this. >> they are spending a lot of time on the reservations doing everything they can to speak to the tribal leaders and get the word out to the native americans and our fellow north dakotaens not to let these guys poot you. you do what you have to do. this was by design. don't kid yourself. this was by design. the republican party was pouting after losing this seat six years ago by less than 3,000 votes. for those individuals there is a state senator writing letters to the editor admitting there went a problem, wasn't any indication what so far of corruption. and yet they did everything they could to make sure they disenfranchised in block of voters. >> you have that issue happening in north dakota. but you also have your sister seeing the gap widen frankly, not in the message she wants to see between her and dp kramer. her closing message, h

heidi heitkamp is gone. they need to pick up three senate seats in order to take back.our that are in play in arizona, nevada, texas, and in tennessee, those are all moving in the republican direction. >> in fact, they are playing defense in new jersey. quickly, lightning here. choose a house race. >> my house race is new jersey's third congressional district. facing a serious challenge from a former obama official. a district that twice voted for barack obama but then flipped to trump so this is exactly the kind of deck strict the democrats need to show they can win and if they want to be donald trump in 2020, he was down 12 points. after kavanaugh, he's ahead by two points. >> florida 27. phil costas unanimous that democrats like to take the house. let's imagine the universe where the republicans hold the house, this will be a see that people will focus on. there should be an easy layup for republicans. hillary won it by 20 points. guess what? not only in play but salazar is actually up by two points. >> bret: >> virginia 10, the lat republican elected inside the belt

senator heitkamp may be the last casualty. i don't know. re woodruff: taking her on is blican kevin cramer, north dakota's only member of the u.s. t use, and an enthusiastic backer of presidump. >> all i can say is, mr. president, thankor not forgetting us. >> woodruff: he won here by a whopping6-point margin two years ago. only two states in the country have a smaller population than north dakota. it is fair to say most americans are familiar wit the name of its major city only because of a movie. , it is this state that is poised to be the biggest determinant this fall in whether democrats have a chance of retaking control of the u.s. senate. red-sta, like other democrats up for reelection this year, often reminds voters of shr independence, how much works across party lines. >> there are too many people who only voton one side 100% of the time, and that will never be me >> woodruff: in her case, she's not only v wedh president trump more than half moe time, she was one of a tiny number of decrats mentioned far job in his ainistration. bu

and politically heitkamp's no vote makes it harder for joe manchin. >> i will intervurupt you. as it turns out, we have confirmed jeff flake is a yes on the cloture vote. he has now voted, i'm being told. that's confirmed. he will move forward now along with susan collins to continue -- to move to this final vote on brett kavanaugh. >> hang on. hang on. sorry, i was trying to listen to one other thing. i'm trying to hear what murkowski's vote is here. i'm seeing conflicting things about that. >> murkowski is a no. >> wow. >> murkowski is a no. joe manchin is a yes. susan collins, jeff flake, joe manchin will move forward that means judge brett kavanaugh will get a shot at a final vote after up to 30 hours of floor speeches from democrats and republicans. he has passed this critical test. he is over this hurdle. incredibly significant for republican republicans, for the president who is watching this from the white house along with the vice president who is there now, i'm told. garrett, jennifer, charlie is with me on set. explain what happens next. we will see 30 hours potentia

heidi heitkamp is apologising...riously enough contained the names of 130 women, all victims. but astonishingly, without getting consent for the publication of their names beforehand. cue full—scale contrition. the only thing i can do is say, i am so sorry. you need a senator who doesn't just talk like they're from north dakota... the republican candidate is kevin cramer. his campaign is accusing heidi heitkamp of re—victimising the victims. it's just terrible for the individuals who have been identified by the campaign without their approval. does it affect the campaign, does it affect the race? absolutely. it'sjust shy of 1,500 miles from washington, dc to here in fargo, but the race here is being watched incredibly closely in the nation's capital. if the democrats have any chance of retaking the senate, they need to hold onto this state. but their chances of doing so have taken a massive blow with this colossal act of political ineptitude. atan at an event last night for female voters, i spoke to some of her suppo

we heard from heitkamp saying all i want to know is how i can fix it.you, that she was sorry? >> no, she has not. >> you were told she would be reaching out? >> yeah, i was told she would reach out to every one of the women that was put in this without our consent but she has yet to reach out to me. >> she wants to know what she can do to fix this. is there something in your mind she could do? >> you know, the damage is kind of already been done. you know the names that did not want to be put out there are already out there for the world to see, and you can't really retract that, the damage is done. >> when did you first realize your name was out there? >> a friend reached out to me and just mentioned that my name was written in an article, and at first i didn't know what she was talking about and i thought it was a scam, and then she found the article for me and sent it to me personally. >> what was your reaction? >> you know, at first i was terrified. i thought, you know, how could this happen? how could something like my name be put out there publicl

heitkamp is losing support from women voters and college graduates.sident trump heading to minnesota today pushing for big wins there. what a morning, what a day it will be. bill is here to break it down. >> bill: interesting numbers, sandra. take our viewers through a couple possibilities now here on the board as we try to examine this. a balance of power in the u.s. senate. you know where it stands now, 51-49 republicans over democrats. pop back out here one time here and show the breakdown. if you go to the maps and show -- let's go ahead and start this bad boy over one time. hang with me. here we go. now we got it set. it's a learning process, smitty, right? like getting a new iphone. you have to reprogram your brain. here 51-49. the polling you showed is very interesting. if republicans are able to flip north dakota from blue to red that's a pickup. maybe missouri blue to red. now you see the numbers changing significantly. i don't know what happens in indiana. it's too close to call right now. if democrats can flip arizona from red to blue, mayb

if heidi heitkamp, if that race were closer, do you think she would have voted no?ht have, but i think she would have been more likely that she voted yes. if she voted no, she would have done with claire mchaskell did, do it before the hearing and blame it on something else. claire mchaskell said he won't give me an answer on soft money. >> dana: she was thinking way ahead. all right, karl rove, thank you. vice president mike pence with some really tough talk on china, making new accusations against beijing. and do you have a question about the fbi report or about what's next in the senate on the kavanaugh vote? i'll host a facebook live with our senior producer right after this show and we'll try to answer as many of your questions as we can. go to facebook.com/daily briefing fnc. post your question. we'll try to get to it on air. a, because i know so many of you have served our country honorably. one of the benefits that we as a country give you as a veteran is the eligibility for a va loan for up to 100% of your home's value. if you need cash for your family, cal

heidi heitkamp having fun, walk anything a classic north dakota parade.er smile masks her political reality. >> we're going to win this. >> reporter: she is the most endangered senate democrat and voting against brett kavanaugh probably didn't help. >> it's been a tough week for me because the political rhetoric is you can't vote that way if you expect to come back. and i tell people i wasn't raised to vote a certain way so i could win. they raised me to vote the right way. >> reporter: applause here, but elsewhere reminders that president trump carried this state by 36 points. >> i don't know how we're going to ever get over that. >> reporter: so you're obviously a north dakota voter. you're disappointed with her vote against brett kavanaugh? >> yes. >> reporter: her republican challenger well ahead in the polls said he was shocked. >> i really fully expected her to vote yes. >> reporter: why. >> she had been building her entire brand as the bipartisan senator from north dakota. >> reporter: she voted for neil gorsich and planned to do so for brett kavan

when you look at heitkamp, she could lose.of them could end up losing if they vote for kavanaugh because women voters are the gasoline and the fuel in this election cycle for democrats. >> dana: josh, do you think the democrats are looking at this through the wrong lens? you've been looking at the data coming out of these red states. >> there's just no data to support it. it's a great political spin. reality is what this has happened with the electorate with respect to the kavanaugh debate, it has lit both bases on fire. democrats have been on fire for a year and a half basically since the trump presidency began. republicans have not been. up to this point they've had special elections, reduced turnout from what we saw in 2016. what's happening in this kavanaugh debate, it has lit red state america on fire. when you live in a state like west virginia, north dakota, missouri, there are more republicans than democrats that are center left. whatever way you cut the maps, if you just look at what's happening, it doesn't make any s

senator heidi heitkamp is up for reelection this year. and joe martialing of west virginia, she did not vote yes. she voted now. more on that from cnn as dana bash. >> heidi heitkamp have been fund walking in a classic north dakota parade. >> hi there. >> reporter: her smile marvs her political reality. he is the most endangered senate democrat, and knows voting against brett kavanaugh probably didn't help. >> it's been a tough week for because, you know, the political rhetoric is you can't vote that way if you expect to come back. i tell people, rthey raised me o vote the right way. >> reporter: reminders that president trump carried this state by 36 points. >> i don't know we're ever going to get over that. >> reporter: so you're obviously a north dakota voter, udisappointed with her vote against kavanaugh? >> yes. >> reporter: her republican challenger, kevin cramer well ahead in the polls was shocked. >> i fully expected her to vote yes. >> reporter: why? >> she had been building her entire brand as the bipartisan senator from a north

heidi heitkamp has a decision to make.sure voting for kavanaugh will help her all that much, especially being down double digits. if i were advising her, i would say vote the way you were going to vote no matter what. if you're down 12, maybe if you vote for the president's nominee, you pick up a couple points, but she's so far behind, i'm not sure it will make that big of a difference. >> big question again, i'm asking you this almost every day because it's key. both sides claim that the kavanaugh vote is mobilizing for their voters. democrats say women will come out in numbers because they feel offended, silences. republicans say they feel kavanaugh has been treated unfairly. i know it's too early to give a definitive answer to that, but smart people have told me the loser typically is more energized. if democrats, if he's confirmed, they're going to be more mobilized. if he's not, republicans will be. is thereidaty that shows that? >> that would not surprise me. so far what we're seeing is the way i measure is enthusias

kevin kramer leads heidi heitkamp by double digits in some new polls. mike emanuel joins us.e, how are the candidates selling themselves in conservative north dakota? >> reporter: dana, good afternoon. the debate was very interesting. certainly the stakes are quite high. heidi heitkamp said she is a true moderate. kevin kramer showed strong support for president trump. they both criticized the nasty fight over justice brett kavanaugh's confirmation. the tpaoeuftiest moment is when kramer went after heitkamp over a controversial ad. >> i still want to get to your thinking when you authorize the ad saying that i voted for a $23,000 raise for myself. that i gave myself a raise. you know that's not true. you know that's impossible. you know that's against the rules. >> reporter: heitkamp did not back down. >> you were elected with that salary. you should maintain that salary. it should only be increased when that salary is in, in fact, part of the next term. >> reporter: they also clashed over an ad she didn't like. >> i think any ad that says i don't support veterans, that i hav

and now heidi heitkamp, this down 12 points. heitkamp voting against this nomination.that going to, in north dakota, complicate her re-election further. heitkamp clearly the most vulnerable democrat. flip side of that, west virginia. trump won the state by 42 points. manchin from a few days ago. manchin has been running strongly in his re-election. the only democrat to vote for this nomination. is that going to solidify his hold on that trump state? then take a look at tennessee. this is where it seems we may be seeing significant movement. a new poll out this morning showing the republican marsha blackburn leading phil bredesen by eight points. a poll put blackburn ahead by five. that's a change from what we've been seeing. a lot of other polls have shown bredesen very popular within the state. have shown him leading. keep an eye on that. texas. ted cruz up six. we continue to see cruz leading this race. not overwhelming. but leading. and then nevada, this is the one sort of exception in the rule. in dean heller, the only republican incumbent who is running for re-ele

with north dakota senator heidi heitkamp coming out against the nominee. on the fargo affiliate, heitkamp said in an interview you should believe the victim. >> if this were a political decision for me, i certainly would be deciding this the other way. you know, there is an old saying. history will judge you. most importantly, you will judge yourself. that's what i'm saying. i can't get up in the morning and look at the life experience that i've had and say yes to judge kavanaugh. >> her decision elicited cheers from protesters in front of the supreme court. >> senator heidi heitkamp is on the right side of history. >> four remaining senators still undecided after getting a look at the fbi report on kavanaugh. that supplemental background check includes 45 pages of interview summaries and 1,600 pages of information collected through the fbi tip line. closed door sessions went last -- late into last night. manu raju reporting that it does appear to be shifting toward kavanaugh. >> reporter: good morning, christine and dave. all eyes on senate floor in a mat

so how does heidi heitkamp make this work for her? kevin kramer right now and how does she save her seat? >> heidi heitkamp has been involved in north dakota politics for a very long time. both she and kramer are extremely experienced, political dreamers and they now how to campaign in the state. for heidi heitkamp its bringing back the issues there. there's also been some developments out there. so for her the key is spending a tremendous amount of time on the ground. in a state with a small population going to very real towns, very rural communities and mobilizing voters who are, you know, inclined to vote for her, remember people think of north dakota as certainly a presidential state. but you need to understand if we go over the last 50 years we will see a huge amount of the time north dakota has had democratic senators. >> is the polling flawed or wrong in north dakota because it was six years ago? and people who think have got to be looking at that polling and saying something's wrong with it. >> yeah, it's been profoundly flawe

what would you be advising joe donnelly at this point at heidi heitkamp?ote for the interest of their state and represent their state. that is what they are doing. claire mccaskill came out against brett kavanaugh because his decisions gave a clear path for more special interests, unreported money into the political process. jon tester for montana opposed judge kavanaugh because he was considered a privacy issue. >> martha: i'm talking about donnelly and heidi heitkamp, they have not decided. >> they have to watch the fbi report to see what it says, they have to look at his decisions and how it impacts their state for the bottom line of the entire discussion is, this is not going to be the deciding factor in the states. the reason in these red states democrats are within the margin of error across the board is because of donald trump. the fact that according to the fox news poll, he is running at 35% believes he cares about people like them at "the wall street journal" poll shows that 53%, including majority of republicans -- >> martha: you are telling hei

a huge cheer and round of applause in the direction of heitkamp's office. they've been thanking her staff for her vote. in terms of the optics, this is all definitely audible to joe manchin's staff and lisa murkowski's staff who are also in this building. you mentioned we're still waiting on jeff flake and susan collins and lisa murkowski on their votes. the jeff flake vote is, to me, the most interesting open question at this point. remember, as of friday morning last week, he was a yes vote. and then he switched to wanting this fbi investigation. between what we heard from him this morning, the idea that he appears at least initially satisfied with the fbi investigation, and his initial yes, the longer he goes without saying more, without coming out as a firm yes and without appearing in front of cameras, and believe me, we've been looking for him all day, that makes me think his support is maybe not as strong as it appeared last friday. so while things appear to be moving in the direction of a kavanaugh confirmation, most of the day here today, i wouldn'

you know, in heitkamp's case, heitkamp is a liberal democrat. to play like she's a moderate or conservative democrat back home and i thought what was notable about her clip is that she admitted, my constituents want me to vote for kavanaugh. she said that would have been the politically smart choice but she's going to do just the opposite which tells me she's basically concluded that she's already lost the race so she's going to vote what's in her heart and that's perfectly fine and her right to do as a senator but i suspect she's going to lose her race. i think the geography in the house is different. we've talked about this before. there are 25 house districts where republicans represent them in congress, but hillary clinton carried them in 2016. those districts are much different in terms of their political dynamics than, say, a north dakota, a montana, a missouri, an indiana or west virginia senate race. >> yeah, and i want to -- i want you both to weigh in on this. this video caught everybody's eye, caught my eye today too. senator orrin ha

heidi heitkamp saying she is going to vote no. know you don't have a vote but you're watching closely and of course the supreme court nomination, the supreme court in general is a potentially voter igniting issue. you're there on the house judiciary committee. do you believe this fbi report should be made public? >> good afternoon, ana. yes, it should be made public, but it should be a much bigger report. it's concerning that they would limit the scope of their investigation. and the fact that the white house had limited the scope of the investigation to me represents a consciousness of guilt, a fear of what they would find if they had heard from other potential witnesses provided by debbie ramirez, of what they would found if they had interviewed judge kavanaugh and dr. ford. >> why do you think they would have found something differently? >> well, certainly dr. ford and debbie ramirez offered a number of other corroborating witnesses. dr. ford had her therapist, her husband, her friends she had on the beach in her surfing group