Posts tagged ‘alumni’

Nate Blumenshine ’10 Launches Campaign for Minnesota State Representative

Nate Blumenshine ’10 jump-started his campaign last week for Minnesota State Representative in District 61B. He is running as an independent, with a campaign centered around the theme of respect. Respect, Nate says on his website, is “the value that determines where I stand on every issue.” He is currently campaigning vigorously across the district, going door to door to collect enough signatures to get his name on the ballot, raising money to fund a large publicity drive, and speaking at special events.

MiddBlog asked Nate a few questions in a quick break from his non-stop campaign trail:

What sparked you to run for state representative? “My responsibility to make the world a better place for all people.”

What’s your favorite part of campaigning? “Having a good excuse to meet ridiculously nice to people.”

What’s the first thing you will do if you win? “Say ‘Thank You.’”

Nate Blumenshine '10

Nate respectfully supports:

• raising taxes for Minnesota’s 1%
• passing Minnesota’s Universal Healthcare Plan
• increasing education funding
• strengthening environmental and emission regulations
• continuing funding for mass transit and biking infrastructure

Nate respectfully opposes:

• any state constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman
• all proposed sulfur and copper mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
• war (for “moral, human, environmental, and economic reasons”)
• funding the new Vikings stadium

Nate has some tough competition in his district with 3 older candidates running for the same seat, but his honorable campaign base and optimistic outlook should lend him an advantage. It might also help (or so I’d like to think) that Nate is young and Middlebury-educated, meaning he will bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the Minnesota House of Representatives. Nate is also running a notably open campaign, posting all campaign donations on an online spreadsheet and revealing his phone number and email address online. Impressively, he is not taking any money from organizations that engage in political advocacy work, which lends even more legitimacy to the “respectful” basis of his campaign.

To find out more or to give support to Nate Blumenshine’s campaign, you can visit his website here or like his Facebook page here!