I've decided to post about North Dakota first as I believe that the Republican screw-up was less severe than in other races. The fact that Republicans lost the seat was more to do with the strength of the Democratic candidate, Heidi Heitkamp, than the weakness of the Republican candidate, Rick Berg. Nonetheless Berg wasn't without fault. Following the Todd Akin scandal in Missouri, the local Fox affiliate in North Dakota decided to ask Berg what his abortion views were.
Berg said that he was pro-life and that the only exception would be the life of the mother, not even rape. This infuriated many North Dakotan women who felt this was a horrible position. When the host asked Berg what punishment women would receive if they had an abortion Berg wouldn't give an answer. He said that the punishment would need to be worked on in a legislative process. Berg seemed to forget that he was running to be part of the legislative process and that he sort of needed to give an opinion. The question made him look weak and a fool.
Berg also took hits because of his extraordinary wealth - he's one of the wealthiest congressmen and that came back to haunt him. He became linked with a property management company with a dubious record.
In the end Berg lost to Heitkamp by only 0.92%, which corresponds to 2,936 votes. It's easy to see how, if he'd just been a little better, he would have won in red state North Dakota.
Berg said that he was pro-life and that the only exception would be the life of the mother, not even rape. This infuriated many North Dakotan women who felt this was a horrible position. When the host asked Berg what punishment women would receive if they had an abortion Berg wouldn't give an answer. He said that the punishment would need to be worked on in a legislative process. Berg seemed to forget that he was running to be part of the legislative process and that he sort of needed to give an opinion. The question made him look weak and a fool.
Berg also took hits because of his extraordinary wealth - he's one of the wealthiest congressmen and that came back to haunt him. He became linked with a property management company with a dubious record.
In the end Berg lost to Heitkamp by only 0.92%, which corresponds to 2,936 votes. It's easy to see how, if he'd just been a little better, he would have won in red state North Dakota.
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| Heitkamp (left) narrowly beat Berg (right) in the North Dakota Senate Race source: www.bigstory.ap.org |
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