Last week, former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan died at the age of 80. His death surprised many. Nolan had campaigned for Democrats here on the Mesabi Iron Range just two weeks earlier.
It’s often said that the passing of a venerable politician is “the end of an era.” I’ll spare that language of Nolan because, for many of us, he showed up after an era had already ended. Nolan represented two generations of political change, a transitional figure who defied expectations.
After Jim Oberstar lost his re-election bid in 2010 to Republican Chip Cravaack, a political shockwave blasted across Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party hadn’t lost this seat since World War II. No one expected the sitting chair of the House Transportation Committee to fall in the Republican “Tea Party” wave that year.
Change happens in its own time, sometimes all at once. But change is also a two-way proposition. What moves in one direction can also move back.
When Democrats sought to challenge Cravaack in 2012, they faced a harsh reality. DFL politicians had flourished in the 8th District over the years, but none seemed ready to compete in a district few seemed to understand anymore. In fact, this district was now bigger than half a dozen states, and in many ways performed like its own state, with a liberal metro center, swinging regional hubs, and conservative exurban and rural areas.
Those expecting young DFL talent to step in got Nolan instead. Nolan won a competitive three-way DFL primary, eventually beating Cravaack in convincing fashion.
If I were older, I would have known who Nolan was before 2010. He served central Minnesota in Congress before I was born. By 2012, his home near Crosby had long been consumed by the 8th District, which expanded to accommodate stagnate rural population growth. He was one of the “Watergate Babies,” young Democratic politicians elected in response to Richard Nixon’s scandalous downfall. By the time I knew his name, Nolan had already enjoyed a couple successful careers.
Nolan quickly figured how to build a working coalition in this district. Though he ran on a strong environmental platform, he adopted Iron Range mining issues as a personal priority. This frustrated environmental groups, but earned him enough political capital to function in a reddening district.
After covering Nolan and getting to know him a little, I observed in him a quality that I admire, and that I wish more people had, too. He was a useful member of his caucus who retained the ability to speak and vote against the majority of his caucus when he felt he needed to. Congress has plenty of people who vote straight party lines, and a handful of gadflies who never accomplish anything. During times of divided government, seeds of compromise can find no purchase in such a garden.
Nolan was like many politicians I covered. He always knew where the cameras were and paid close attention to stories about him. Because of his late career renewal, his campaigning style seemed stuck in another era — which could be both refreshing and cringe-worthy.
But Nolan also modeled behavior that I wish politicians of both parties would try. He kept talking to people who disagreed with him. He understood how to expand his base of political support beyond the partisans. Nolan brought a lot of joy to what he did. Facing difficult and controversial issues, he made choices.
His last run for Congress in 2016 was his best political performance. DFLers up and down the ballot struggled in rural areas where support for Donald Trump surged. Against incredible odds, Nolan squeaked out a 2,000-vote victory in Minnesota’s ‘Fightin’ Eighth.”
No Democrat has come close since.
Nothing lasts forever. Political trends come and go. Victory is a function of changing attitudes and seized opportunity. Rick Nolan’s second act in Minnesota politics taught us that the right candidate at the right time always has a chance to do some good.
Aaron J. Brown is an author and college instructor from northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. He writes the blog MinnesotaBrown.com and co-hosts the podcast “Power in the Wilderness” on Northern Community Radio. This piece first appeared in the Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 edition of the Mesabi Tribune.
In addition to Rick Nolan’s remarkable endurance we should also note his geographic reach. He represented the 6th CD in the 1970s when it contained most of Southwest Minnesota, far from his home base in the north. Pairing this with his later 8th District creates a continuous Nolan domain from Rock Co. (bordering IA and SD) to Ontario-snuggling Cook Co., some 500 miles distant!
I have better memories of John Blatnick, But only because I was living up there when he was the elected Rep many times. From a distance I saw Nolan as a good inheriter. I do not see Stuaber that way at all. Can ypou tell me one thing that guy brought “home” relative to Blatnick and Nolan that had not been actually brought by Klobuchar and Smith. I am not sure how much people will miss Nolan. They sure as hell should tho, Is the Mesabi papaer endorsing candidate for Pres ?