Why I’m running for Congress
I have fond memories of the long car rides to my family’s farms in the Casselton-Amenia area of Cass County where my mom’s dad helped start the first ever sugar beet co-op in North America; and out to Williston and Crosby where my dad’s dad served as a State Senator after his return home from World War II to farm in Williams and Divide County.
My family has a tradition of being deeply involved in and giving back to the communities that have done so much for them. It’s a North Dakota value I embraced from a young age. And It wasn’t long before I knew I needed to carry on with this tradition. Like my grandfather before me, my path forward for engaging in my community was to run for office.
The first time I ran, I was 19 years old and I ran for the Fargo Park Board. I was unsuccessful, but undeterred. I knew I would run again, and I did. And at 25 years old, I became a member of the North Dakota State House of Representatives.
For four years I served as a Democrat representing a burgeoning West Fargo district. West Fargo isn’t a Republican or a Democratic district. It’s a place where families and young people are finding room to grow in their lives and their careers.
As their representative, I fought for greater transparency in our state elections, consumer protections that could better meet the needs of our changing world, and a pro-growth regulatory environment that would make North Dakota one of the leading suppliers of good technology jobs. I want to continue to represent the people of North Dakota and share their stories on a national stage. I want to bring the voices of North Dakotans to the halls of Washington, D.C. And I want to bring our traditions and values to bear on the decisions being made in Congress.
The North Dakota I grew up in isn’t that different from the one I live and work in today. We still have similar hopes and dream for our families; a roof over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs and the peace of mind that comes from a safe and secure neighborhood.
The world around us has gone through a dramatic change. People are more connected than ever, the global population continues to expand increasing the demand for energy and food, political campaigns have gotten much, much more expensive and Washington, D.C. politicians seem incapable of sitting down and talking to one another.
It wasn’t that long ago that our members of Congress reached across the aisle and worked together for the benefit of North Dakotans — ensuring a strong Farm Bill with crop insurance policies that steady our agricultural economy, diversifying our economy and creating good-paying jobs through federal partnerships with North Dakota’s higher education system, protecting Medicare and Social Security for our seniors and expanding care for our veterans’ mental health. Those men and women who came before me made sure that at the core of everything they did in Washington, were the hopes and beliefs of the North Dakotans they represented back home. And together, Democrats and Republicans worked towards policies that would allow North Dakota to grow even during the worst of times for America. I want to bring that tradition back to the halls of Congress.
There is a lot on the horizon for North Dakota. Our farmers and ranchers continue to face the fallout of drought. The opioid addiction crisis that has ravaged the nation hasn’t spared North Dakota. Our economy’s dependence on commodity prices still puts us at risk of uncontrollable ups and downs in the global market. But we can meet these challenges by putting our families first and working towards what unites us as North Dakotans. As a commercial real estate broker and property manager, I know that good ideas don’t have a party affiliation. They come from the people who are doing their very best everyday. And I will work together with anyone who is willing to step up and use their voice and their ideas for the good of North Dakotans and Americans.
Running for office can be a daunting task. And I genuinely look forward to traveling to each of North Dakota’s 53 counties and speaking with people from every corner of the state about how we can work together. In my early travels I’ve already heard one resounding cry: North Dakotans demand new vision, leadership and courage from their elected officials. They want a fighter who will bring North Dakota common sense to a gridlocked and unresponsive Washington, D.C.
I’ve worked hard to be that fighter, and I’m ready to keep at it if I’m elected in 2018.
I’m excited to get off the sidelines and jump into this race! I hope you’ll roll up your sleeves and join me in standing up for what makes North Dakota great: You.
You can follow along with our journey on Facebook and Twitter.
You can also support our campaign our here.
