Former Minnesota Congressman Rick Nolan dies at age 80
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Former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, who represented two of Minnesota’s congressional districts in Washington more than 30 years apart, died on Friday at the age of 80.
The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party confirmed Nolan’s death in a statement, calling him a “champion for the Northland who fought fiercely to protect working people from corporate interests.”
The cause of Nolan’s death was not immediately announced.
“From Ely to Duluth, he was an ambassador for the DFL creed that ‘we all do better when we all do better.’ Our thoughts are with his family and all who came to know and love this dedicated public servant,” the DFL statement read.
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Nolan was known for his support of mining, and work on health care issues — including efforts to improve detection, care, coverage and research for lung cancer. It was a very personal cause, after his daughter Katherine battled lung cancer for more than five years before she died in 2020.
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, in a statement remembering Nolan, noted his advocacy on the issue.
“Rick loved his family, his staff, and his country, and he turned that love into energy,” Smith wrote.
Two stints in Congress
Nolan was born in Brainerd and served on the staff of then-U.S. Sen. Walter Mondale in the late 1960s. After serving in the Minnesota House, he made an unsuccessful run for Congress in Minnesota’s 6th District in 1972. He then won election to the seat in 1974, part of a Democratic wave in the wake of the Watergate scandal. He served three terms before opting against running for reelection in 1980.
In 1979, Nolan made news when he helped launch a movement to get Ted Kennedy to run for president — Kennedy later did challenge incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter — despite fellow Minnesotan Walter Mondale being Carter's vice president.
Nolan said he was worried Carter would lose the 1980 election — which he did, to Republican Ronald Reagan.
“I feel terrible about what this does to Fritz [Walter] Mondale. He’s one of the people that I have admired and respected most in public life,” Nolan told MPR News at the time, speaking about one of his political mentors. “Unfortunately, I think in all fairness it has to be said that he becomes a victim of Carter policies as much as the American people have become victims of Carter policies. Unfortunately, Fritz Mondale’s not the president. Jimmy Carter is the president.”
In the 1980s, Nolan was appointed by Gov. Rudy Perpich to create the Minnesota World Trade Center — a business development organization aimed at attracting international investment to the state — and served as chairman from 1987 to 1994.
More than 30 years after leaving Congress, Nolan jumped into the race for Minnesota’s 8th District in the 2012 election. The 8th District seat had been held for decades by Democratic Rep. Jim Oberstar, who was ousted by Republican challenger Chip Cravaack in 2010.
Nolan decisively defeated Cravaack, telling an Election Night crowd that it was an odd feeling but a familiar one despite the significant time away from Congress.
“I guess Yogi Berra would say, ‘it feels like deja vu all over again,’ ” he said.
Nolan then narrowly held off challenges by Republican Stewart Mills in 2014 and 2016. Nolan opted against running for reelection in 2018.
In his final year in Congress, Nolan was the running mate of Attorney General Lori Swanson in her run for Minnesota governor in 2018; they lost to Tim Walz and Peggy Flanagan in the DFL primary.
‘One of a kind’
Nolan was known for his willingness to ruffle feathers and work across the aisle, and also for his progressive politics and fiery oratory.
“He was an old-school politician who could stand up and give a rip-roaring speech filled with passion and fire and brimstone,” said Jeff Anderson, who served as Nolan’s chief of staff and district director during his second stint in Congress.
Anderson ran against Nolan in the DFL primary in 2012. He recalls hearing how a former Congressman who had retired more than three decades earlier was entering the race. He figured he had nothing to worry about.
“And then I heard him speak at the Crow Wing County DFL meeting in Brainerd, and thought, ‘Holy cow, this is a guy who can just fill a room full of energy and motivate people!’”
Anderson said he last saw Nolan about two weeks ago, when he was on the Iron Range stumping for DFL state legislative candidates.
The 8th Congressional District was long a Democratic stronghold. Oberstar represented the district for over 30 years, with support from powerful labor unions on the Iron Range and elsewhere.
The region has undergone a political shift since Nolan declined to run for reelection in 2018. Republican Congressman Pete Stauber has represented the district ever since.
But Nolan was able to narrowly win a third term in 2016, during an election where former President Donald Trump won the district. He combined progressive policy stands — including support for universal health care — with fierce support for mining and the natural resource based economy.
“So he really was kind of one of those unique individuals who could bridge things,” said Alan Netland, president of the Northeast Area Labor Council.
Other elected officials, colleagues and friends shared remembrances of Nolan on Friday.
State Sen. Grant Hauschild, who represents a northern Minnesota district, posted on social media Friday that Nolan was “one of a kind.”
“No one fought harder for the place they loved than him. His eternal optimism was contagious (and) he always spent his capital on uplifting future leaders,” Hauschild wrote.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar issued a statement calling Nolan “an incredible friend that dedicated his life to public service and his family.”
“With his thunderous voice and passion for the people, Rick was a one-of-a-kind leader,” Klobuchar wrote. “He was the comeback kid. He went from being one of the youngest members of Congress to being one of the oldest freshmen when he was sworn in again at 69. He was the consummate outdoorsman, friend of labor, and he never forgot where he came from.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who served alongside Nolan in Congress, remembered him as “a giant in northern Minnesota and in Congress, a tireless advocate for working people, and his speeches could blow the lid off the roof. It was an honor to serve Minnesotans alongside him.”
Justin Perpich, former 8th District DFL chair and a former Nolan campaign manager said “Rick Nolan was a powerhouse for the Iron Range. I’ll always remember when he brought Obama Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to the Range to help secure tariffs on illegal steel, protecting the steelworkers jobs,”
“He was also a tireless advocate for healthcare for all and a fierce voice for the working class in D.C. There was no one like him when it came to retail politics, Rick knew how to work a room or a parade route like no other. Today, Minnesota has lost a true champion. My heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Mary and the entire Nolan family.”
Nolan’s memorial service is scheduled to take place on at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Breezy Point Resort.
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