Two AACC adjunct professors are running for state delegate from Anne Arundel County.

Democrat Courtney Buiniskis, who has taught communications part-time at AACC for five years, has filed to run for election in District 30B, which includes Shady Side where she lives.

Republican LaToya Nkongolo, who has taught human service courses at AACC for seven years, said she intends to enter the race in District 31B, which includes Severna Park, where her home is.

“I am proud to say that I will be the first African American woman to ever run for this position in [southern Anne Arundel County],” Buiniskis said.

If they win their elections later this year, Buiniskis and Nkongolo will represent the people who live in their districts in the Maryland House of Delegates. Delegates vote on statewide laws, share the concerns of their communities, introduce legislation and determine how the state spends taxpayer dollars.

The deadline for candidates to file to run for delegate is Feb. 22. So far, Buiniskis and Del. Seth Howard, a Republican who has held the seat since 2015, filed. Nkongolo said she intends to file before the deadline.

Three delegates represent each of Maryland’s 47 voting districts. Candidates will compete in a primary election on June 28 and in a general election on Nov. 8.

“Helping people and putting resources together is nothing new to me,” Buiniskis said.

Buiniskis said she decided to run during a fundraiser for Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman when someone told her she would be a good candidate.

“I like to get stuff done,” Buiniskis said. “I like talking, but after that, I want action to follow up.”

Buiniskis said she is the best candidate for her community because “I am open, caring, kind and boisterous for my community. I am multi-cultured with a view that is different from others as a woman of mixed race. I understand our citizens and our community. I understand education and what it can do for individuals in changing their lives.”

Similarly, Nkongolo, a therapist, said her helping nature is one of the reasons she decided to run for state delegate.

“After hearing stories and talking to clients from different backgrounds about the distress they were facing as a result of politics, society and the economy, plus how it was fueling depression or anxiety, I just felt like people didn’t feel heard,” she said. “They needed someone to represent them and I felt like I was in the best position to do that.”

Nkongolo said she plans to win her election by doing a lot of research and knowing the data so she can understand the needs of the voters in her community.

“Once I start talking, I know how to [make] a persuasive argument to really be the voice of my community,” Nkongolo said.

Both state delegate candidates said they plan to continue teaching at AACC after the election.