Heitkamp says it's not all about resisting Trump

MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — Heidi Heitkamp has no time for resisting.

That's what the North Dakota Democrat in one of the most Donald Trump-friendly states says, though it would seem she also doesn't have that luxury of avoiding the resistance.

The first-term U.S. senator, among the most vulnerable in her party seeking re-election this year, is maneuvering herself at once as an ally of the Republican president on policy, and a polite opponent at other times.

"If you simply focus on resistance, if that's your sole motivation and purpose, I don't know how you'd ever get anything done," Heitkamp said during an Associated Press interview at a coffee shop in Mandan, her hometown. "When we agree, we work together."

Heitkamp's record of championing some of Trump's proudest deregulation moves has frustrated Republicans, who would like nothing more than to paint her as obstructing the president. That has been the more combative approach of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, seeking re-election in Democrat-friendly Massachussetts.

Read more: https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Heitkamp-says-it-s-not-all-about-resisting-Trump-12983257.php