WYNDMERE—North Dakota Senator Jason Heitkamp, R-Dis. 26, Wyndmere, has announced he will seek election to the House of Representatives during this upcoming 2022 campaign season.
Because of the redistricting plan the legislature approved in November’s special session, Sen. Heitkamp finds himself in a district that will be disappearing. For that reason, he will be running in what will be the new District 25.
“If the people put me in, I can continue to work for them." Sen. Jason Heitkamp, R-Dis. 26, Wyndmere
With the changing district situation, Sen. Heitkamp decided the best opportunity for him to continue serving the people of North Dakota would be in the House, according to his press release. Presumably Sen. Heitkamp would be running against the two incumbents currently in District 25, representatives Alisa Mitskog and Cynthia Schreiber-Beck, both of Wahpeton. “If the people put me in, I can continue to work for them,” said Sen. Heitkamp.
Meeting people around his district, and around the entire state, is a large part of what Sen. Heitkamp considers both a love and a responsibility. “I really like to go around and meet people,” he said. “If they call me, I take their phone calls.”
"We represent everybody in North Dakota."Sen. Heitkamp
If he meets someone outside of his district, and they ask for his help, Sen. Heitkamp says he wants to help. “We represent everybody in North Dakota,” he emphasized. “We want [people] to work first with their district legislators. If they tell me where they’re from, I’ll let their district legislators know,” Sen. Heitkamp added.
Sen. Heitkamp is still completing his first term in the North Dakota senate, having been elected in Nov. 2020. His switch to the House also aligns with his desire to see term limits for elected officials across the state. Sen. Heitkamp is a co-sponsor for the term limit measure expected to be on next year’s ballot.
“I’ve been telling the people they only get me for two terms,” said Sen. Heitkamp. “But with the redistricting, I only got to serve half a term.”
Sen. Heitkamp says because of that half term, the maximum he would serve is 10 years total. Then he’d like to turn over the reins to someone else that he can perhaps mentor in the process of serving the people of North Dakota.
Another plank in Sen. Heitkamp’s platform has been eliminating primary residence property tax in the state. During the last legislative session, he was the primary sponsor on a bill to remove from the North Dakota Century Code the ability for school districts to have a mill levy. Had that bill passed, it would have given every property owner, renter, and business a 45-55% reduction on their property tax bill.
Instead, Sen. Heitkamp says that education is provided for under the North Dakota Trust Lands. “The Constitution clearly says that the state will provide for education,” he explained.
In his press release, Sen. Heitkamp stated, “ARTICLE VIII, Section 2 of the North Dakota State Constitution states, ‘The legislative assembly shall provide for a uniform system of free public schools throughout the state, beginning with the primary and extending through all grades up to and including schools of higher education, except that the legislative assembly may authorize tuition, fees and service charges to assist in the financing of public schools of higher education.’ ARTICLE X, Section 1, of the North Dakota State Constitution states, “The legislative assembly shall be prohibited from raising revenue to defray the expenses of the state through the levying of a tax on the assessed value of real or personal property.”
Sen. Heitkamp is a truck driver, former Financial Advisor, former EMT-B, and retired farmer who has lived his entire life in North Dakota.
