Joel Curtis Heitkamp (born November 2, 1961) is an American talk radio host and politician who served as a member of the

North Dakota Senate The North Dakota State Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives. Per the state constitution, North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative distri ...

for the 26th district from 1994 to 2008.

Education

Heitkamp was born in

Breckenridge, Minnesota Breckenridge is a city and county seat of Wilkin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,430 at the 2020 census. Breckenridge's twin city is Wahpeton, North Dakota. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND—MN Micropolitan Statistic ...

and raised in

Hankinson, North Dakota Hankinson is a city in Richland County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 921 at the 2020 census. Hankinson was founded in 1886. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND– MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office has been ...

, where he graduated from Hankinson High School. He also attended the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

Career

Heitkamp managed the Southeast Water Users District in

Mantador, North Dakota Mantador is a city in Richland County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 67 at the 2020 census. Mantador was founded in 1893. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND- MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography According to the United ...

. He served as a member of the

from 1994 to 2008, representing the 26th district. During his final term in the State Senate, Heitkamp served as chair of the Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration.

Talk radio

Heitkamp has worked as a talk show host. He was host of

KFGO KFGO may refer to: * KFGO (AM), a radio station (790 AM) licensed to Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. * KFGO-FM, a radio station (104.7 FM) licensed to Hope, North Dakota, U.S. * KRWK, a radio station (101.9 FM) licensed to Fargo, North Dakota, prev ...

's '' News and Views'' program (replacing, and later being replaced by,

Ed Schultz Edward Andrew Schultz (January 27, 1954 – July 5, 2018) was an American television and radio host, Pundit, political commentator, news anchor and sports broadcaster. He was the host of ''The Ed Show'', a weekday news talk program on MSN ...

), and now hosts the ''Joel Heitkamp Show'' on KFGO,

KLXX KLXX (1270 AM), known as "Super Talk 1270", is a radio station located midway between Mandan and Bismarck, North Dakota, United States. It has always been licensed to Mandan, although most of its audience is in neighboring Bismarck. KLXX curren ...

, and KCJB. On February 18, 2008, Heitkamp announced on his radio program that he would not be a candidate for re-election in 2008 due to

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

rules regarding equal-time for candidates of the opposite party.

Personal life

On October 15, 2020, Heitkamp announced that he tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

following the onset of the disease's typical symptoms. His sister,

Heidi Heitkamp Mary Kathryn "Heidi" Heitkamp (, ; born October 30, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from North Dakota from 2013 to 2019. A member of the North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party, she was ...

, is the former junior U.S. Senator from North Dakota, serving from 2013 to 2019, and former

attorney general of North Dakota Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gov ...

. His cousin, Jason Heitkamp, is also a member of the

References

Democratic Party North Dakota state senators 1961 births Living people 21st-century members of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly 20th-century members of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly {{NorthDakota-politician-stub