Meet Nathan

Bloomington is – and always will be – home.

I’ve lived in Bloomington my entire life, and I’m proud to be a product of our Bloomington Public Schools. My Mom was a math teacher, and faculty union leader, at Normandale Community College for decades, and my Dad practiced law here, too. My family and I love that we live within walking distance of Moir Park and Nine Mile Creek. I earned my BA in Music and Political Science from St Olaf College, and my MPA in Health, Housing, and Education Policy Leadership from the Humphrey School at the U of M.

I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve our state and community.

Before I was elected to the House, I served five years on the Bloomington City Council. In that role, I represented our city on the 169 Corridor Coalition, the State Community Health Services Advisory Committee, and the Bloomington Housing and Redevelopment Authority. I also served on the Board for the Perpich Center for Arts Education (appointed by Gov. Dayton), and was a Sunday School Teacher for 13 years at Mt Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

Budgets and Taxes – I’ve often said that “budget decisions are policy decisions”, but they’re also how most clearly show our values and our priorities. The work we did in our 2025 budget to protect the important support for our public schools, colleges and universities, and transportation infrastructure that we passed in 2023 will continue to pay off for Minnesotans. We need to be crystal clear that our budget and tax priorities should be focused where they will do the most good, supporting and growing the middle class, not rewarding the people and businesses who are already more than well-off.

Civil Rights – George Floyd’s murder put a national spotlight on Minnesota, and showed how far we really have to go to address significant racial disparities in public safety, health, housing, education, income, and so many other areas. Ignoring these problems doesn’t alleviate them – taking action does. As long as I have anything to say about it, Minnesota will always be a place where our LGBTQ+ neighbors can know they will be safe and protected to live their lives how they want to.

Economic Opportunity and Affordability – We don’t have to look far to see how our economy works – and how it doesn’t – for middle-class Minnesotans. With the cost of groceries, rent and mortgages, health insurance, prescription drugs, senior care, child care, and college seemingly running away, I hear every day from folks in Bloomington on the need for us to take action. Ignoring the costs of these center-of-life things doesn’t make them go away, and we shouldn’t be afraid to take on the systems (and yes, the people) who are screwing us over.

Education – As the son and husband of teachers, and a proud product of our Bloomington Public Schools, I’ve seen firsthand how critical a quality education is to our community. As someone who has studied education and worked directly with districts, parents, educators, and support staff, I know how important it is that we get it right. You can count on me to work hard to ensure schools have the resources needed to succeed, that policies support students rather than target them, and that our state constitution’s requirement of a “thorough and efficient system of public schools throughout the state” is strengthened. We have to continue the work we began with our 2023 budget of correcting the decades of underfunding our public schools have endured.

Energy and Environment – Climate change is an existential threat. We need bold action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and puts us on a path to mitigating it – frankly, we needed it years ago. One of the first bills we passed commits Minnesota to 100% clean energy by 2040. Supplemented by our Climate and Energy budget, and federal funding, Minnesota will continue to be a leader. There is absolutely no reason that we have to choose between good-paying jobs and protecting our environment, and we shouldn’t be stuck with this false dichotomy.

Fighting Trumpism – It feels like every day brings fresh horrors from the Trump Administration that their groupies in the legislature are only too happy to try and copy. We know their plan – keep screwing over regular people to funnel as much power as possible to their goons and the money-getters enabling them. And for good measure, keep amping up the hate on our neighbors that they don’t know and don’t want to know. From the immoral cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, to terrorizing undocumented Minnesotans who just want to live their lives and care for their families, I know that the only way to get a bully to back down is to work hard and fight back.

Health Care – Minnesota has one of the best health care systems in the country – if you’re lucky. But too many are not. Prescription drugs are too expensive, insurance is too expensive and too complicated, care is often inaccessible, and the result is a system that focuses on procedures and profits over people. Instead, we should be working toward a public system that empowers health care professionals to keep people healthy – not one that just lets insurance companies devise new and creative ways to make money at the expense of peoples’ lives. That also includes supporting the frontline workers that we’ve all hailed as heroes for the last two years by ensuring they are paid enough to actually support themselves and their families, and that staffing ratios and supports are strong enough.

Housing – Minnesota faced a housing crisis long before the pandemic, and it has only become more acute. Continued investment, along with needed policy changes to make housing more accessible, will go a long way to easing this crisis. We also need to continue the work of preventing homelessness and housing instability by supporting the entire spectrum of housing needs.

Protecting our Democracy – Free and fair elections are the foundation of our government. Ensuring that every Minnesotan is able to exercise their right to vote freely and easily is critically important now more than ever. The work that we’ve done to strengthen our democracy, and to ensure it continues to be inclusive and accessible, will ensure that Minnesota continues to lead the nation in voter turnout. By centering the voices of voters in campaigns and elections, we ensure that our elections truly reflect who we are as a state. We also need to take on the corrosive and damaging influence that the ungodly amount of dark money in campaigns is having on our ability to trust our elected leaders. Minnesota was once a leader in campaigns that prioritized the public interest – not private special interests – and we can be again.

Reproductive Rights – Minnesotans have made in clear with their voices and their votes: we value reproductive freedoms. In the wake of Roe v Wade being overturned, I’m proud of how our DFL majorities stepped up to ensure that Minnesotans make their own decisions about if and when to have children, and no one else. I will continue to fight to ensure that those freedoms are protected here in Minnesota.