Nels Pierson is the GOP candidate for the Minnesota State senate seat vacated by retiring Carla Nelson, who has held the seat since 2010.
I moved to the area back in 1995. I grew up on a dairy farm near Butterfield, MN. I have lived in Oronoco, Rochester, Stewartville and now live in Rochester Township. I have been married for 26 years to my wife Nicole, and we have 5 children ranging in age from 6-23.
My work after growing up on a farm primarily revolves around real estate and development along with being a business owner of two small businesses.
In 2014 I was elected to the MN State House of Representatives, and I served for 8 years in that body. In 2022 redistricting occurred and that took away much of the area I had represented and at the time my 5 child was coming to our home through international adoption, so we took a break from running for office.
Believing in democracy and capitalism would be core principles for me. Having recently watched the events unfold in Minnesota surrounding the fraud of programs that were meant to help people has reinforced to me that government growth and lack of accountability need to be addressed.
What I would like to accomplish as a Minnesota State Senator. Addressing the fraud and making sure it does not happen again. Also, holding those who did not identify the fraud and holding them accountable for allowing and diminishing our public trust.
My goals for the community. Reduce government spending. Eliminate fraud. Allow individuals more control of their land and person freedoms.
Simon Glaser is running on the DFL ticket for the Minnesota State Senate seat. I have proudly lived in the Rochester area for nearly sixteen years, where I have worked as a public school teacher, raised my family, and led my union. I have spent more than half my 30-year long career as an educator teaching students here in Southern Minnesota. As a union organizer, I have become closely connected to the people that live, work, raise their families and choose to grow old here. I hope to continue to represent the needs of my neighbors and advocate for the working families living in Dodge and Olmsted County at the state legislature.
I am a father to two kids and a husband to my wonderful wife. I am very family oriented which is why I care deeply about making life easier and more affordable for the working families of our community. I am especially motivated to make starting a family more affordable for the countless young people who are currently putting off the American dream as they struggle to make ends meet.
I am a public school teacher of 30 years and a dedicated member of my union where I
eventually served as Vice President. I have spent the sixteen years I have lived here teaching in
Rochester Public Schools, currently at John Marshall High School. My decades of teaching
have been driven by a desire that every student—no matter their background—receives the
high-quality education they deserve. These experiences have not only prepared me to run for
public office, but have motivated me to be a voice for my district and Minnesotans at the state
legislature. I want to continue being an advocate and deliver for families on the issues that
matter to them most.
Outside of the classroom I have also been deeply involved in community and faith based
advocacy. As an active member of Rochester’s teachers’ union, I have served in many roles,
including vice president, negotiations team member, and government relations representative
—fighting for fair wages, better working conditions, and policies that benefit both teachers and
students. Beyond education, I have been deeply involved in community advocacy. Working
alongside local community and faith-based groups, I mobilized volunteers, led phone banks,
and trained community members to advocate for policies that strengthen our local community.
I believe that at a time where public faith in our institutions is wavering, and so many hard
working Minnesotans are struggling, it is crucial to send everyday working Minnesotans, not
career politicians, to St. Paul. I have not held a public office before, and see that as a strength in
my candidacy. I am not entrenched in deep party divides, and would bring an outside
perspective to challenge government and deliver results for hard working Minnesotans. Further,
through teaching, organizing for my community and leading my union, I have had the privilege
of serving my community in different roles. I have testified on educational issues before the
Minnesota Senate, and sat in my legislators’ offices advocating for better compensation,
healthcare, and pensions for educators. These experiences have given me the skills and insight
into what issues people in my community are faced with right now and this experience is
something I hope to bring to the state legislature.
As a public school teacher, I understand the struggles of working people. That’s why I have dedicated years of my life to fighting for working people as a union leader. My experience is rooted deeply in my years spent as both an educator and community servant, and I want to bring this perspective to St. Paul as a legislator. I am guided by the idea that government works best when all Minnesotans are guaranteed both dignity and opportunity. What drives me is educating and empowering the next generation, helping build a stronger community and advocating for policies that allow individuals and families to live a good quality life. This is what I hope to achieve as the next State Senator for Senate District 24. I’m not running for the title, or
to level up my career, I’m running to deliver real results for the people of Southern Minnesota
and continue my decades long track record of service.
My campaign’s top priorities are to bring down costs, fight fraud, repair our broken healthcare system, and defend and advocate for the needs of our rural communities. Life keeps getting more expensive, no matter your party, and I can’t shake the feeling that we used to do a better job looking out for the everyday people in this country. I believe that whether it is high costs of housing, or unaffordable healthcare expenses, we can and must work to bring down costs for Minnesotans.
I also take the issue of fraud very seriously. I believe the number one job of elected officials is to protect people’s tax dollars, but our state government failed to do that. I would proudly work across the aisle with republicans to ensure that fraudsters are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. I would also work to expand government transparency, and ensure taxpayers have a government they can trust to do its job correctly and efficiently. We need to ensure that taxpayer money is going where it is supposed to and that the government program resources reach the people they are supposed to.
Along those same lines, a doctor's appointment should never break the bank. Healthcare costs have skyrocketed to unacceptable extremes in recent years and bad actors in Washington, D.C. continue to undermine people's right to care, cutting life saving benefits and programs that
people need to live. Minnesotans need to be able to access healthcare without it emptying their
bank accounts or putting them in debt. I will fight to ease and expand healthcare access, and
rein in the out of control costs.
Rural communities in my district and across the state also deserve a voice. Recently we have seen what powerful and private interest groups are willing to do to bring their agenda to people's doorstep. No one should feel powerless in these situations and our rural communities especially need someone in office that is able to guarantee their interests are at the forefront of conversations and decisions that can affect their livelihoods. That is why I support pausing any and all new construction on hyperscale data centers until we have established thorough protections, review processes, and regulatory systems to guarantee that these projects will not destabilize rural communities.
