Of the three candidates on the ballot, two are making their first bids for legislative office. Veteran representative Dan Ruby and newcomer Christina Wolff are running as Republicans, and newcomer Lisa Hermosillo of Minot Air Force Base represents the Democratic-NPL Party.

District 38 House member JoAnne Rademacher, a Republican, was appointed to fill a vacancy with the resignation of Larry Bellew last year and is not seeking election.

Sen. David Hogue, R-Minot, is running unopposed for the state Senate.

Hermosillo said she is campaigning on the theme of unity.

Dan Ruby

“I want to see a legislature that can work together with both sides, get things done and really put the heart of the issues that are impacting North Dakotans first,” she said at a candidate event earlier this month.

Hermosillo said she has been reaching out to the GOP with the understanding that respect and a willingness to find a common ground are the key to working with the majority party.

“I think I could see us getting things done. And it just starts with having those discussions with current legislators and leaders and talking to a lot of Republican voters as well,” she said.

“But to be effective is sticking to your values, not being afraid to rock the boat. We are rocking the boat by just running,” she said of Democrats.

Hermosillo advocates for accessible healthcare, reproductive rights, addressing the influx of drugs and government transparency as well as ethics and accountability. Her goals in the Legislature would include increasing the availability of qualified childcare, addressing workforce retention, increasing accessibility to mental health services and addressing high taxes. Hermosillo said she is concerned about Measure 4’s intent to eliminate property taxes.

Christina Wolff

“I would support it if there was much more of a solid plan, but right now, I don’t see it,” she said. “We actually need to take a step back and think long term. If we do lose this, how is that going to affect all these community services?”

Hermosillo is a supporter of Measure 5’s proposal to legalize adult marijuana use for a number of reasons, including increased income from a tax and new business growth. North Dakota’s rising crime rates generally are a concern of hers, but she notes crime hasn’t been linked to marijuana use in other states. She also said alcohol presents a far greater intoxicated driver issue.

Hermosillo has a degree in psychology, with a concentration in addiction studies. She has worked in banking, property management and veteran healthcare. Over the past several months, she has sought to bring awareness to mental health and the impact suicides have. She founded Talk United-Minot, which aims to provide connections and support to airmen, veterans and the community.

Hermosillo grew up on a southwest Minnesota farm and came to North Dakota via Colorado with her husband, who is in the Air Force. She said one reason she is running is to set an example for her children about what it means to stand up for what you believe in.

An Alaska native, Wolff moved to Minot in 2010 and lives just south of the city. She has a small handyman company and assists on the accounting side of her husband’s oilfield consulting business. She previously ran a nonprofit roller derby organization in Minot.

David Hogue

She became involved with the Republican Party in 2020. After attending a rally in BIsmarck in 2021 and the state convention in 2022, she perceived the party needed a change to give grassroots members a stronger voice. Already secretary for District 38 Republicans in 2022, she took the helm of the Republican Women’s group and helped breathe new life into that organization, now called North Central Republican Women.

She decided to run for the Legislature at the urging of others in the local party, she said. Government overspending and overreach is her primary concern, said Wolff, who has an interest in budgets and appropriations. She is on the sponsoring committee for Measure 4, which seeks to eliminate property taxes.

“Since 2009, our budget has just skyrocketed, and I really don’t see the need for it,” she said. “That’s our money. I guess there’s a lot of good things the government can do, but there’s a lot the government shouldn’t be doing.”

As an example, she cited a bill to establish a program to provide forgivable loans of up to $160,000 for up to 10 years for new immigrant families who work or start businesses in the state. The bill failed.

Wolff said she is pro-life but her focus would not be on cultural or social issues, which she considers local or personal concerns. Personally, she said, she is leaning against Measure 5 because she doesn’t see a significant benefit to other states that have legalized recreational marijuana.

She has been approached about legislation related to child custody and fathers’ rights and said she would be interested in pursuing a bill in that area.

Ruby is seeking to retain the legislative seat he has held for about 24 years. He has chaired the House Transportation Committee for eight sessions and served on the Industry, Business and Labor Committee and the Budget Section Committee, an interim committee that makes fiscal decisions when the Legislature is not in regular session. His focus currently is on an environmental study related to four-laning U.S. Highway 52 from Minot to just beyond Velva, he said at a recent candidate event.

Funding state government as efficiently as possible would be his priority if reelected, Ruby said earlier in the campaign. He listed flood protection and good roads as among the important needs in the state.

He has said he believes the state could find funding to replace property taxes if Measure 4 passes, but if it fails, he indicated he would consider other tax relief measures.

Ruby is president and CEO of Circle Sanitation.

Hogue is running to retain the seat he has held in the Senate since first elected in 2008. He has served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and as the Senate Majority Caucus leader for 10 years. Hogue presently serves as the Senate Majority Leader, having been elected in 2022.

He has said his priorities are to lower taxes, respect and protect the life of the unborn, and prudently manage the state’s resources, including its constitutional funds.

Hogue is an attorney in private practice with a Minot law firm.