U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat, tops President-elect Donald Trump’s list to be the next Agriculture Secretary. The question remains, however, whether she will accept the post. Washington media reports suggest that if she leaves the Senate for the Department of Agriculture, Heitkamp will likely be giving up her Senate seat to a Republican. Democrats are hoping she would turn down the offer because it would give Republicans a chance to increase their thin majority in the Senate, which stands at 52 seats. However, former North Dakota Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan says Heitkamp can win reelection because North Dakotans “like and trust” her.
Heitkamp met with Trump earlier this month and is also considered to be a potential Energy Secretary, though former Texas Governor Rick Perry is the likely front-runner for that post. Heitkamp is viewed as a vocal advocate for farmers and would be a small signal of bipartisanship under the Trump administration.
Source: NAFB News Service