Michael Nelson

Michael V. Nelson (June 2, 1954 – May 16, 2026) was an American politician who served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2003 to 2025. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 38A, which includes the cities of Brooklyn Park and Osseo in Hennepin County in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Early life, education, and career Nelson was born in Minneapolis and attended Park Center High School. He attended Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park for carpentry in 1974. He served for 16 years as a member of the Minneapolis Housing Authority.

Political positions

State government Nelson has supported Attorney General Keith Ellison's requests to increase funding to hire additional criminal prosecutors, but said in 2021 that Senate Republicans opposed the measure. After protesters took down a statue of Christopher Columbus on the state Capitol grounds, Nelson said he would not hold hearings on legislation to restore the statue. During a 2015 debate over increasing salaries for state commissioners, Nelson said, "We could put a bunch of slugs in there and pay them nothing and then we'd scream when the government is not running right".

Labor and unionization Nelson, who worked as a union representative, has supported workers and their right to join a union, and said, "There's been a general war on anyone who is working class and has a union by trying to take union rights away". He authored legislation in 2013 to authorize childcare providers to collectively bargain as part of a union, which passed the House as part of a larger labor bill. He supported legislation approving union contracts that included pay increases for state workers. Nelson served as part of a jobs task force to make recommendations on economic development, capital investment, and tax policies.

Elections Nelson has supported legislation to increase funding for election cybersecurity updates and authorize federal funds from the Help America Vote Act to improve election security. He expressed concern over a proposal to move Minnesota's primary from August to June, and cosponsored a bill to ban ranked-choice voting in the state.

Other political positions Nelson voted in favor of a bill to build a new Minnesota Vikings stadium with a mix of private and state funds. He supported bills to pay off the stadium's debt ahead of schedule. In 2017, he was the only "no" vote on a hearing for a bill to increase legislative control over the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, which oversees the U.S. Bank Stadium oversight panel.

Electoral history

Personal life Nelson lived in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota with his spouse, Kathleen, and had three children. He was Lutheran.