Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp Outs Sexual-Misconduct Victims in Campaign Ad

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) apologized on Tuesday for apparently outing sexual-misconduct victims against their will in a campaign ad. “I deeply regret this mistake and we are in the process of issuing a retraction, personally apologizing to each of the people impacted by this and taking the necessary steps to ensure this never happens again,” Heitkamp said in a statement. The individuals’ names appeared in a newspaper ad attacking her opponent, Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND). Heitkamp is running behind in most statewide polls, partly due to her vote against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Lexi Zhorela of Bismarck, who was listed in the ad because her friend tagged her in a Facebook post about sexual-assault victims, told the Associated Press that she was “furious,” adding: “I know I’m not the only woman hurt by this. ... I didn’t want it blasted for the world to see.” Zhorela also said she no longer plans to vote for Heitkamp. Cramer responded to the mishap, telling the Associated Press: “This is what happens when desperate people do things for their own personal political gain.”