Doria Drost
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Doria Drost (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Minnesota House of Representatives to represent District 16A. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Drost completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Doria Drost was born in Newport News, Virginia. She earned an associate degree from Minnesota West Community & Technical College and earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and political science from Southwest Minnesota State University. As of June 2020, Drost was pursuing a master's degree in business administration from Southwest Minnesota State University.[1]
Drost's career experience includes working as a public health intern with Countryside Public Health, as a graduate assistant in student success and advising with Southwest Minnesota State University, as an account support advisor with GreatAmerica Financial Leasing, and as a theatre director with Tracy Area High School. Her professional credentials include working as a presenter with the Students United Advocacy Conference and the Communication & Theater Association of Minnesota St. Cloud Conference, and as a national representative with the American Forensics Association and National Forensics Association National Conferences. Drost holds certifications for safe space training, Microsoft Office Word, and event planning.[1]
Drost has been affiliated with the rural and youth caucuses of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party and with the Business Professionals of America.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Doria Drost advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 16A.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Chris Swedzinski advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 16A.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Drost's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Doria Drost completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Drost's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a graduate student at Southwest Minnesota State University where I earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing and Political Science in 2019. I come from an agricultural background and currently work as an Account Support Advisor at a financial leasing company. I've advocated for years for higher education reform, women's rights, agricultural representation, and action on climate change.
- I believe healthcare is a human right.
- I will work to end disparities in public education.
- I believe we need to provide more support to farmers and small businesses.
I am passionate about creating avenues in the state legislature that allow our rural communities to thrive. My focuses include border-to-border broadband, affordable healthcare options in rural communities, closing the opportunity and achievement gaps in public education, and creating relief programs for farmers and small business owners that allow Southwest Minnesota's local economies to prosper.
I look up to my father. He's a Minnesota native and an army veteran. My father has always shown me the importance of a strong work ethic and choosing to help others first. I helped him start his trucking business from the ground up and I value the lessons he's taught me as both a father and as an entrepreneur. I'd like to follow his example of pursuing the goals you set for yourself and doing what is ethical when it comes to how your actions influence others.
Honesty and transparency, the ability to critically think about the outcomes of a decision, and the passion to be the voice for your constituents.
My favorite book is the non-fiction novel 'I Have The Right To', which details the physical and emotional journey of recovery from sexual assault as well as inspiration for survivors to take back the narrative of their trauma. It reveals the continued flaws in the interviewing and prosecution of perpetrators as well as providing methods of support for victims to regain their bodies and their minds after assault.
Mental health is something I struggled with a lot throughout school. My school did not have comprehensive health or sexual education programs, which made body image and mental health difficult to grasp during high school. I struggled with an eating disorder and depression as well as being a victim of bullying and sexual assault. Without the proper resources available, I ended up in a treatment center my senior year for a brief time. Mental health and sexual assault are growing issues in our state, and often go undetected in our youth because of the lack of resources and education. This has made me a strong advocate for expanding the mental health resources in our public schools as well as reforming health and sexual education to become more comprehensive programs in our state's K-12 public education system.
Recovering from the shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are of utmost importance going into the next legislative session. The other pressing challenges facing our state over the next decade include building the state's economy in critical industries like agriculture, addressing the growing climate crisis, creating affordable housing and healthcare for all Minnesotans, and reforming our education system.
I strongly believe building relationships with other legislators is important when it comes to bettering our state. By forming these connections with other representatives, we are able to formulate more comprehensive solutions to issues facing Minnesota as well as working towards legislation that truly has the best interests for Minnesotans at heart. The more cohesion we have as a legislative body, the more we will be able to accomplish on behalf of our communities.
One story I've found particularly eye-opening as well as touching were those of parents in my district that have children with autism. These parents shared concerns over the lack of resources the special needs community has in rural Minnesota. One parent shared that they had to relocate their child out of the public school system to a special learning center because the public school lacked the necessary resources for their child to be successful. Another parent revealed that they have to regularly travel to the metropolitan area of the state in order for their child to get basic health assessments. These stories have inspired me to look into policy reforms that allow more special needs resources to be allocated into rural parts of Minnesota including grant funding for communities to pursue public accessibility projects, and the aid in the creation for ABA therapy centers, day camps, and support groups for those with special needs and their families.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 23, 2020
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Lisa Demuth
Majority Leader:Harry Niska
Minority Leader:Zack Stephenson
Representatives
Republican Party (67)
Democratic Party (67)
