Post-Bulletin Endorses Carla Nelson

In today’s Rochester Post-Bulletin, Minnesota State Senator Carla Nelson was endorsed by the paper. Sen. Nelson, a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and current first-term senator from District 26 has, in the opinion of the Post-Bulletin, not only earned reelection for the reasons any junior senator would deserve re-election, but mainly for coming out swinging during her first term as a seasoned politician, working hard for her senate district and reaching across the aisle to the DFL not out of compromise so much as getting things done.

Chief among their reasons for endorsing Sen. Nelson over her challenger, Rochester attorney Ken, Moen, “If asked to describe her in one word, we’d probably choose ‘formidable,'” writes the editorial board of the Post-Bulletin. They continue:

“We don’t always agree with her positions, but there’s no denying the energy and passion she brings to her work in St. Paul. She’s not concerned with symbolic victories — she wants meaningful outcomes. ‘I’ve had 21 bills that I chief authored, bipartisanly passed and saw signed into law by Gov. Dayton,’ she told us. ‘I’m interested in seeing legislation passed, not just writing it.’

Further, the editorial continued its description of Nelson as a tireless “crusader,” and listed among her accomplishments for Rochester, and her district:

• Leading the successful fight (along with Rep. Mike Benson on the House side) to protect the genomics partnership between the Mayo Foundation and the University of Minnesota, which faced significant funding cuts in early budget proposals.

• Authoring legislation to use data analytics to improve government efficiency — ideas that were still working their way through committees when Gov. Dayton issued executive orders that implemented some of them.

• Authoring the Senate version of the Digital Learning bill, which according to the Minnesota School Boards Association “provides teachers with 21st century tools to implement online and digital learning.”

The Post-Bulletin goes on describing our “formidable” district senator in terms which can only describe Carla for what she has been, and will continue to be, for her district: A leader.

But in Carla Nelson, [Ken Moen is] facing an opponent who has proven surprisingly adept at getting things done and negotiating her way through partisan gridlock. What’s more, Nelson is a significant player in the ongoing quest for efficiency and accountability in state government, and we endorse her for another term in the Minnesota Senate.