Even without Rep. Kevin Cramer in the race, Republicans are still expected to maintain their narrow Senate majority. | Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images Cramer won't run for Senate in North Dakota

Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) has decided against challenging North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp this November, rejecting pleas from President Donald Trump and leaving the GOP without a top-tier candidate against Heitkamp — a first-term Democratic senator seeking reelection in a state Trump won by 36 points in 2016.

Cramer made the announcement Thursday on "What's On Your Mind?" — a radio program syndicated statewide in North Dakota, saying he needed to spend time with his 10-year-old son.


"We've decided that the best thing for our family and for me and I think, frankly, for North Dakota is for me to seek reelection to the House of Representatives," he said. "And while it's still a robust campaign — there's still a lot of work to do — it's far less intense than flying around the country for the next 10 months every weekend going to Chicago and New York and you know, someplace far away to raise adequate funds to, you know, to run."

Even without Cramer in the race, Republicans are still expected to maintain their narrow Senate majority. Democrats need to flip two seats without losing North Dakota — or any of the other nine seats they hold in states Trump carried in 2016. But Cramer's decision to seek reelection in a statewide House seat with only nominal Democratic opposition — rather than challenging a sitting senator, even in a bright-red state like North Dakota — is the latest sign of a challenging political environment for the GOP.

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The decision ends month of waffling by Cramer. At the beginning of 2017, the GOP viewed Cramer as a top-flight candidate. But a series of gaffes in the spring and summer — including calling Democratic female lawmakers who wore white to a joint session of Congress "poorly dressed" — convinced the GOP to look elsewhere. But after a number of candidates, including state Treasurer Kelly Schmidt and businesswoman Tammy Miller, decided against running, the GOP resumed its pursuit of the third-term congressman.

Trump personally joined the recruitment effort, hosting Cramer at the White House, where Cramer said Trump asked him to run for the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also made calls, with Cramer telling POLITICO last month he was in "constant contact" with top Republican operatives. Cramer, however, had said he found the possibility to move up the ranks of the House Energy and Commerce Committee more attractive.

"It all becomes part of a formula to make a difficult decision more difficult," he said. "It's a factor that I'm considering for sure. We only have one member from an entire state. Influence matters all the more."

Cramer's departure leaves state Sen. Tom Campbell, a wealthy potato farmer, as the only GOP candidate in the contest. While Campbell has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on television advertisements to boost his name recognition, Republicans continue to pursue other candidates.

“With today’s announcement, now is the time for North Dakota conservatives to focus squarely on defeating Senator Heitkamp this November, and I am committed to doing exactly that,” Campbell said in a statement, in which he also praised Cramer as a "dear friend and committed conservative." “I look forward to providing Kevin with a conservative partner in the Senate after I defeat Senator Heitkamp.”

The GOP views Heitkamp's seat as one of their three best pickup opportunities, following Sens. Claire McCaskill in Missouri and Joe Donnelly in Indiana. NRSC Chairman Cory Gardner of Colorado said Thursday he was still optimistic about their chances to defeat Heitkamp.

"I think North Dakota's going to have a great representative in the Senate, a great representative in the House," Gardner said. "This is a great opportunity for us to continue running great candidates in North Dakota."

"I feel good about North Dakota," he added.

Elana Schor contributed to this report.