Anastassiya Andrianova

My personal experiences as an immigrant, living through economic and political instability in both Eastern Europe and the United States, have made me resilient, flexible, and empathetic to the needs of various people. As a university professor of writing and literature since 2004, I have acquired the research, communications, and leadership skills necessary to develop and pass legislation, particularly in the domain of higher education. As a community activist and a Ukrainian American, I have been networking with Democratic and bi/nonpartisan organizations to advocate for immigrants’ rights, women’s rights, and environmental sustainability.

When elected, my top three priorities will be education, families, and the environment. I will fight for public schools to have highly trained, well-paid teachers, access to universal free school meals, and other supports students need to succeed. I will fight for affordable childcare, paid parental leave, and lower healthcare premiums and out-of-pocket costs, so that everyone has a fair shot at a full, healthy life. And I will work to make North Dakota energy-independent by growing our wind and solar capacities, so that no one has to choose between filling their gas tank and paying their heating bill.

We have opportunities and challenges when it comes to the workforce. Investing in K-12 and higher education will help attract and retain talent needed to grow our economy and make North Dakota more competitive in science, communications, and technology. We have a teacher shortage, so we need to work with school boards to keep public dollars in public schools, invest in teacher training, and raise teachers’ salaries. We have a shortage of nurses and medical professionals, but also a unique opportunity—through the Rural Health Transformation Program—to boost rural infrastructure and address regional needs through creative and sustainable investment.

I support the use of state funding for programs and initiatives specifically aimed at attracting, developing, and retaining K-12 teachers and higher education professionals throughout the state through the continued support and growth of programs, like the North Dakota Higher Education Challenge Grant Fund, to help create an educated, highly trained, professional workforce. I am prepared to reach across the aisle to ensure that public funds are used responsibly to promote our communities’ fiscal health, making sure to evaluate their effectiveness through “incentive scorecards” and other measures.

I support the use of state funding (incentives, job training tax credits, grants) to boost economic development by enhancing local small business competitiveness and stimulating infrastructure development. I will work with small business owners and local and regional business leaders to ensure that North Dakota state funds support North Dakotans, not large out-of-state oil and AI data companies. I will focus on public-private partnerships to close the gaps between development costs and private financing but also providing accountability so that the state can recoup funds if businesses fail to meet benchmarks.

I believe in the power of transparent, consistent, and open-minded conversations with local business and government leaders to develop sensible policies ensuring that every North Dakotan has a roof over their head. We can do this by incentivizing the redevelopment of underutilized sites, converting commercial properties into residential ones, working with local governments to review and streamline building codes, and investing in public infrastructure (water, sewer, roads) to reduce upfront costs for new housing developments.

Working families and employers across North Dakota will benefit from affordable and accessible high-quality childcare. As a proud member of North Dakota United, the educators’ and public employees’ union, I will work with union leadership and the ND Department of Health and Human Services to expand childcare relief for families, building on existing initiatives like the Working Parents Child Care Relief program, and I will focus on public-private partnerships to help licensed childcare providers stay in business and attract and retain well-trained childcare professionals.

I support the Red River Valley Water Supply Project. The goal of the RRVWSP is to secure a long-term water supply during droughts, supporting municipal, rural, and industrial needs. I understand that this project has the potential to boost future water demands and increase water reliability and sustainability in our state, but I also understand that potential concerns include the impact of pipeline routes and construction on landowners as well as environmental and regulatory concerns when it comes to water quality.

The goal of building a Natural Gas Pipeline is to transport Bakken produced gas from the west to Eastern North Dakota. I do not support the project because of concerns over landowner easements, the potential use of eminent domain, and the environmental impacts (water contamination and harm to wildlife) and risk of exposure to air toxins for people who live in nearby areas. As already stated, I will work to make North Dakota energy-independent by growing our wind and solar capacities.