Caring for citizens tops District 5 Democrats’ agenda
Zach Raknerud
Kyle Erickson
Zach Raknerud
Kyle Erickson
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State government needs to return to the fundamentals of taking care of its citizens, according to District 5 Democratic-NPL House candidates Kyle Erickson and Zach Raknerud.
Too many legislators have succumbed to the national political noise and lost their focus on North Dakota, Erickson said. He would like to see the focus back on taking care of North Dakota.
Raknerud added the state needs to get back to the fundamentals of taking care of its communities.
"We have schools around this state right now that haven't been invested in since the mid-20th century," Raknerud said of aging buildings. "Why I love North Dakota’s history is because we understood that rural communities require public investment. We just lost touch with it."
Erickson and Raknerud will face District 5 Republicans Rep. Scott Louser and Roger Brabandt on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. Democrats do not have a candidate running for the state Senate in District 5.
Raknerud moved to Minot in 2016 after graduating from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He has been employed in retail and sales management positions and ran for U.S. House on the Democratic-NPL ticket in 2020 and for a District 5 House seat in 2018.
"Running as a Democrat in North Dakota is a challenge, especially in Minot, but I keep going because I really feel that North Dakota has so much of its history to be proud of, and we’re losing touch with it. So, I just continue to put the effort in because I think the people around here are amazing people, and we deserve a better government," Raknerud said.
Erickson, a first-time candidate, said he became more interested in government after the Center for People with Disabilities, where he works in advocacy, was affected by federal budget cuts in 2025.
"The budget cuts were made by people that weren’t actually in our community. We had no connection to what was actually going on. I made two decisions that day. First, I made a decision that I’m going to do what I need to do to make sure that every single decision that affects North Dakotans is going to be made by North Dakotans that are actually in touch with their community," he said. "Any decisions that affect people with disabilities probably shouldn’t be made without somebody with a disability at the table to help."
Raknerud and Erickson cite affordability as the issue on the minds of many District 5 residents. From property taxes to groceries, residents are concerned about costs, Erickson said.
"People are just wondering how they can afford to keep their families taken care of," he said.
Healthcare also is a concern, the candidates said.
With federal changes coming to reimbursement rates for health facilities and work requirements for Medicaid recipients, impacts are coming to the state, Raknerud said. The Rural Health Transformation Fund that is providing millions to improve rural health care is temporary and won't counter the effect of reduced reimbursements for rural hospitals, he said. Meanwhile, businesses and governments are seeing health insurance costs climb rapidly.
"If we continue to see that, it's going to collapse," Raknerud said. "We can't just sit idly by and let that happen."
He also voiced concern that legislative funding for K-12 education hasn't kept up with inflation, dropping teacher pay from a mid-level rank to 41st in the country.
"We need to make those investments. K through 12 is just such an important thing," he said. "We have to do whatever it takes to get that funding back up."
Raknerud favors using more predictable revenue sources to support state priorities, preferring to use less stable commodity funds to invest in communities when the money is there.
"North Dakota has a story and tradition of a very responsible taxation system that was predictable. We can't just take the blessing of commodities and just buy down everything, because it's not going to last forever," he said.
"Our first step shouldn't be 'Oh, let's look if we can cut taxes,'" Erickson added. "Let's take a look if our priorities are being met, if people are being taken care of, and then if there's room to cut taxes, by all means, cut taxes."
Erickson voiced concern about legislators who come into their positions with agendas in place. He considers his job to be listening to constituents and letting them determine the agenda.
"Whatever my district's priorities are, that would be my priorities," he said.
Highlighting the need for more workers in North Dakota, Erickson and Raknerud give support to creative efforts to recruit as well as a continued focus on addressing the childcare shortage.
Erickson said he met a hard-working bus driver who had to leave his job of 12 years because his family was better off financially if he became a stay-at-home dad and just his wife worked. That shouldn't be a choice families are forced to make, he said.
Raknuerud suggested the state offer interest-free or forgivable loan programs to expand the available childcare services.
"It's addressing the supply side of the issue, rather than just throwing money at the cost itself," he said. "We have to improve the supply to get the cost down."
Erickson and Raknerud are supporting Measure 2 on the November ballot, which would mandate state funding for school meals. The state constitution requires funding K-12 education, and meals should be included in the educational mandate, Raknerud said.