Anna Nevenic is a No Party Preference candidate in the race for the 41st Congressional seat. However, many voters may recognize her as the frequent Democratic candidate in elections for state seats over the past decade.
In 2010, she entered the race that former Sen. Bill Emmerson won to replace John Benoit as the state Senate member. She ran again for that office in 2014 and 2018 against Sen. Jeff Stone and in the 2020 election to replace him, in which Sen. Melissa Melendez won.
Nevenic should be familiar to Hill voters despite her notoriety of unsuccessful efforts to gain elected office. However, she doesn’t find it discouraging.
“Thinking you can pull people out of misery, that is a sufficient force for me,” she believes.
Born in Yugoslavia, where she earned a nursing degree, at a young age in 1976 she immigrated to the United States. Eventually she settled in San Francisco, earned a degree from San Francisco State University in political science and German, married and raised a son who is a doctor. Divorced, she eventually moved to the desert where she now lives, to enjoy the warmer climate.
Working with the sick and ailing raised her concerns for their conditions and she has always been involved in efforts to improve their lot.
“I believe one person can appeal to higher ups to change things,” Nevenic stated. “I’ve worked in schools, worked as a nurse, and with inmates, and saw mentally ill not get treatments. This is sad in the greatest country on Earth.”
“Homelessness is like a third world country,” added Nevenic. “But as a nurse, I’ve seen that we can prevent medical problems so this is manageable, too …
“If I’m elected, maybe I can help change consciences,” she believes. “I’ve worried about human suffering since I was a little child.”
Nevenic’s priorities and issues she favors start with comprehensive, universal health care with major emphasis on preventative care. She advocates education reforms and emphasizes increasing literacy, job training for the new economy, afterschool programs and building healthy lifestyles. And infrastructure is a part of her platform. She would increase investments in renewable energy and expand all modes of public transportation.
She also has written four books between 2000 and 2007. The first was about Yugoslavia and the others ranged from a history of fundamentalism and conservatism to American women who changed the world. The most recent is “Parenting Made Simple.”
Despite her general sadness about society and her efforts to improve the condition of many, she admitted, “This is my last run.”
Her ultimate success may again be unrewarded. She has done no fundraising, other than paying for the printing of fliers that will be distributed in communities of ages 55 and older.
“If I win, I will raise money, but I haven’t really asked anyone else for funds,” she confirmed.
Nevenic has visited the Hill. One of the concerns she has from these trips is firefighters need for more equipment in order to prevent wildfires from destroying homes and people.
“We need more planes to put fires out faster,” she said. And she attributes the threat of wildfires to climate change.
“It’s hard to believe that people have no understanding of this,” she lamented. “We need more research and more funding to prevent fires.”