Ruth Anna Buffalo is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
politician serving as a member of the
North Dakota House of Representatives from the 27th District, serving from December 1, 2018. She is the first Native American
Democratic
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
woman elected to the North Dakota Legislature.
Early life and education
Buffalo was born in
Watford City, North Dakota and raised in
Mandaree, North Dakota. She is an enrolled citizen of the
Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from
Si Tanka University and three master's degrees from
North Dakota State University: one in management, another in business administration, and one in public health.
Career
Her involvement in politics began when she ran for
North Dakota Insurance Commissioner in the
2016 North Dakota elections
North Dakota held two statewide elections in 2016: a primary election on Tuesday, June 14, and a general election on Tuesday, November 8. In addition, each township elected officers on Tuesday, March 15, and each school district selected a date be ...
, but lost to
Jon Godfread
Jonathan Godfread is an American politician from the state of North Dakota. A member of the Republican Party, he is the North Dakota Insurance Commissioner, and has served in the role since 2016.
Early life and career
Godfread is from Grand Fo ...
. In April 2017, she became party secretary of the
North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League and in July 2017, her mayor appointed her to the Fargo Native American Commission.
North Dakota House of Representatives
She replaced
Randy Boehning
Randy Boehning (born September 17, 1962) is an American politician. He was a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives from the 27th District, serving from 2002 to 2018. He is a member of the Republican Party. He received a BA from Mo ...
, who was the primary sponsor of the
Voter ID law
A voter identification law is a law that requires a person to show some form of identification in order to vote. In some jurisdictions requiring photo IDs, voters who do not have photo ID often must have their identity verified by someone else ...
that voting rights advocates warned would disenfranchise Native American voters.
Other important issues in this 2018 race included access to health care, education (both K-12 and higher education), property taxes, and community safety.
See also
*
References
External links
Ruth Buffalo Biographyin the North Dakota Legislative Assembly
Ruth Buffalo's Candidate Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buffalo, Ruth
Native American state legislators
Democratic Socialists of America politicians from North Dakota
21st-century American politicians
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
21st-century American women politicians
Women state legislators in North Dakota
People from McKenzie County, North Dakota
North Dakota State University alumni
Candidates in the 2016 United States elections
20th-century Native American women
20th-century Native Americans
21st-century Native American women
21st-century Native Americans
Democratic Party members of the North Dakota House of Representatives