Heitkamp on Banking Panel Shortlist

WASHINGTON — Senator-elect Heidi Heitkamp may be the next in line to join the Senate Banking Committee.

The North Dakota Democrat is being "mentioned as a possible addition" to the panel, according to a Democratic aide, who cautions that assignments are not final until Majority Leader Harry Reid makes an official announcement.

Heitkamp, a former state attorney general, won a tight race against Republican Rep. Rick Berg in November. She doesn't have a long history of working on banking issues, but did receive a $5,000 post-election donation from the American Bankers Association.

She also has ties to Sen. Joe Manchin, who is expected to join the panel next year as well. The West Virginia Democrat supported Heitkamp during the campaign for her views on energy issues, according to press reports.

The two moderates will likely join Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., founder of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, on the committee.

A spokesman for Heitkamp did not respond to a request for comment.