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Republican · Minnesota Senate, district 24

Serving since Jan 3, 2023MN 2025–26 session

Portrait of Carla Nelson, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
20
votes against the majority of Minnesota Senate Republicans

Party unity 66%, in the bottom 5% of the Minnesota Senate (average 93.0%). 148 roll calls in the MN 2025–26 session.

Party unity counts only party-line roll calls, where most Democrats and most Republicans voted on opposite sides, and is the share of those where Nelson voted with the majority of Minnesota Senate Republicans; it is ranked within the Minnesota Senate. The count covers every roll call where Nelson voted opposite that majority.

At a glance

6 measures against State Senate Republicans. 0% of Nelson’s itemized money in the 2026 cycle came from Minnesota, in the bottom 5% of State Senate Republicans. 5.3% of Nelson’s statements use bipartisan language, 2.3 times the State Senate Republican average of 2.3%.

The measures on which Nelson sits furthest from the middle of State Senate Republicans, each against the same group, with the CSIP score when there is one. Every number is explained in its own section below.

Party unity

66%

Minnesota Senate average 93.0% · ranks 66th of 67 · 20 votes against the majority of Minnesota Senate Republicans

From Minnesota, 2026

0%

Of itemized individual dollars · ranks 837th of 860 State Senate Republicans

Bipartisanship

5.3%

State Senate Republicans average 2.3% · ranks 41st of 354

CSIP ideology

+0.07

More liberal than 87% of State Senate Republicans · ± 0.04

Out of committee

0%

Minnesota Senate average 3.1% · ranks 55th of 67

Extreme labels

0%

State Senate Republicans average 1.3% · ranks 261st of 354

Peer group: State Senate Republicans. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; the thick bar is Nelson, the thin grey bar the peer average. The headline is the measure on which Nelson is most unusual among peers (Methods, §08).

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Nelson says

Nelson attacks opponents personally about as often as the median State Senate Republican. Personal attacks in 0.4% of 228 statements, against 2.3% for the average State Senate Republican; 163rd of 354.

An AI model reads each of Nelson’s 228 statements in the MN 2025–26 session (228 posts on X) and marks the kinds of statement it contains: a personal attack, criticism of a policy, discussion of policy, bipartisanship, credit claiming, and extreme labels. A statement can carry several. Every rate is compared with the average for State Senate Republicans and ranked among them.

Kinds of statement

Share of statements carrying each label, the MN 2025–26 session

0%80%
Nelson
Peers
Rank
Policy discussion110 statements
48%
37%
105th of 354
Credit claiming46 statements
20%
15%
111th of 354
Policy criticism25 statements
11%
9%
116th of 354
Bipartisanship12 statements
5%
2%
41st of 354
Personal attacks1 statements
0%
2%
163rd of 354
Show the data
Nelson's share of statements in each category against the State Senate Republicans average.
RowNelsonPeers
Policy discussion48%37%
Credit claiming20%15%
Policy criticism11%9%
Bipartisanship5%2%
Personal attacks0%2%
228

statements classified

228 posts on X.

posts on X: 228 (100.0%)posts on X 228
Show the data
Nelson's statements by source
PartValue
posts on X228
How to read the bars

The thick bar is Nelson; the thin grey bar is the average State Senate Republicans. A longer thick bar means Nelson does this more than peers. Rank 1 is the highest rate in the group.

Extreme labels

Nelson used no extreme labels in 228 statements. The peer average is 1.3%.

No extreme labels in this window.

Who gets the labels

Targets named alongside an extreme label, by number of statements

No targets recorded.

What an extreme label is

Calls a politician, a party or a policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who or what the label was aimed at. The lists show the five most used labels and targets; the toggle shows the rest.

Month by month

Share of statements per month, the MN 2025–26 session

Statements2025-01: 272025-02: 152025-03: 302025-04: 162025-05: 182025-06: 112025-07: 42025-08: 32025-09: 122025-10: 122025-11: 52025-12: 62026-01: 92026-02: 102026-03: 122026-04: 62026-05: 112026-06: 52026-07: 22026-08: 42026-09: 72026-10: 3peak 30 · Mar ’25Personal attackspeak 3.7% · Jan ’25 · latest 0.0%Personal attacks, 2025-01: 3.7% of 27Personal attacks, 2025-02: 0.0% of 15Personal attacks, 2025-03: 0.0% of 30Personal attacks, 2025-04: 0.0% of 16Personal attacks, 2025-05: 0.0% of 18Personal attacks, 2025-06: 0.0% of 11Personal attacks, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-09: 0.0% of 12Personal attacks, 2025-10: 0.0% of 12Personal attacks, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-02: 0.0% of 10Personal attacks, 2026-03: 0.0% of 12Personal attacks, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-05: 0.0% of 11Personal attacks, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticismpeak 22.2% · May ’25 · latest 0.0%Policy criticism, 2025-01: 11.1% of 27Policy criticism, 2025-02: 0.0% of 15Policy criticism, 2025-03: 13.3% of 30Policy criticism, 2025-04: 12.5% of 16Policy criticism, 2025-05: 22.2% of 18Policy criticism, 2025-06: 18.2% of 11Policy criticism, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-09: 8.3% of 12Policy criticism, 2025-10: 16.7% of 12Policy criticism, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-02: 10.0% of 10Policy criticism, 2026-03: 0.0% of 12Policy criticism, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-05: 0.0% of 11Policy criticism, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussionpeak 66.7% · Oct ’25 · latest 63.6%Policy discussion, 2025-01: 37.0% of 27Policy discussion, 2025-02: 33.3% of 15Policy discussion, 2025-03: 46.7% of 30Policy discussion, 2025-04: 43.8% of 16Policy discussion, 2025-05: 50.0% of 18Policy discussion, 2025-06: 45.5% of 11Policy discussion, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-09: 33.3% of 12Policy discussion, 2025-10: 66.7% of 12Policy discussion, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-02: 60.0% of 10Policy discussion, 2026-03: 58.3% of 12Policy discussion, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-05: 63.6% of 11Policy discussion, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanshippeak 18.2% · May ’26 · latest 18.2%Bipartisanship, 2025-01: 7.4% of 27Bipartisanship, 2025-02: 0.0% of 15Bipartisanship, 2025-03: 0.0% of 30Bipartisanship, 2025-04: 12.5% of 16Bipartisanship, 2025-05: 0.0% of 18Bipartisanship, 2025-06: 0.0% of 11Bipartisanship, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-09: 0.0% of 12Bipartisanship, 2025-10: 16.7% of 12Bipartisanship, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-02: 10.0% of 10Bipartisanship, 2026-03: 0.0% of 12Bipartisanship, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-05: 18.2% of 11Bipartisanship, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claimingpeak 45.5% · May ’26 · latest 45.5%Credit claiming, 2025-01: 22.2% of 27Credit claiming, 2025-02: 33.3% of 15Credit claiming, 2025-03: 16.7% of 30Credit claiming, 2025-04: 12.5% of 16Credit claiming, 2025-05: 27.8% of 18Credit claiming, 2025-06: 9.1% of 11Credit claiming, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-09: 8.3% of 12Credit claiming, 2025-10: 16.7% of 12Credit claiming, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-02: 30.0% of 10Credit claiming, 2026-03: 33.3% of 12Credit claiming, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-05: 45.5% of 11Credit claiming, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labelspeak 0.0% · Jan ’25 · latest 0.0%Extreme labels, 2025-01: 0.0% of 27Extreme labels, 2025-02: 0.0% of 15Extreme labels, 2025-03: 0.0% of 30Extreme labels, 2025-04: 0.0% of 16Extreme labels, 2025-05: 0.0% of 18Extreme labels, 2025-06: 0.0% of 11Extreme labels, 2025-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-09: 0.0% of 12Extreme labels, 2025-10: 0.0% of 12Extreme labels, 2025-11: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-12: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-02: 0.0% of 10Extreme labels, 2026-03: 0.0% of 12Extreme labels, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-05: 0.0% of 11Extreme labels, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Jan ’25Jul ’25Jan ’26Jul ’26Oct ’26
Show the data
Monthly rates for Nelson, each row shaded against its own peak, with statement volume. Months with fewer than 10 statements are left blank.
ColumnStatementsPersonal attacksPolicy criticismPolicy discussionBipartisanshipCredit claimingExtreme labels
Jan ’25273.7%11.1%37.0%7.4%22.2%0.0%
Feb ’25150.0%0.0%33.3%0.0%33.3%0.0%
Mar ’25300.0%13.3%46.7%0.0%16.7%0.0%
Apr ’25160.0%12.5%43.8%12.5%12.5%0.0%
May ’25180.0%22.2%50.0%0.0%27.8%0.0%
Jun ’25110.0%18.2%45.5%0.0%9.1%0.0%
Jul ’254— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Aug ’253— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Sep ’25120.0%8.3%33.3%0.0%8.3%0.0%
Oct ’25120.0%16.7%66.7%16.7%16.7%0.0%
Nov ’255— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Dec ’256— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jan ’269— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Feb ’26100.0%10.0%60.0%10.0%30.0%0.0%
Mar ’26120.0%0.0%58.3%0.0%33.3%0.0%
Apr ’266— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
May ’26110.0%0.0%63.6%18.2%45.5%0.0%
Jun ’265— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jul ’262— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Aug ’264— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Sep ’267— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Oct ’263— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
How to read the strips

Each row is one kind of statement; each cell is a month, shaded against that row’s own peak (darker = closer to the peak), with the peak and the latest value written at the right. The top row counts statements. The strip covers every month of the MN 2025–26 session, the same span as the rates above, including months with no statements. A month with fewer than 10 statements is hatched, not shaded: one or two posts would swing its rate to 0% or 100%. 11 months are hatched here.

In Nelson’s words

Real statements from the classifier’s example set, with the labels it assigned

Credit claiming

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Oct 6, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · credit claiming · Source

Bipartisanship

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Jun 16, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · bipartisanship · Source

Personal attacks

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Jan 10, 2025 · Posts on X (state legislators) · personal attacks; target: Walz · Source

Examples by category

Up to five recent statements in each category

Category

Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.

  1. Posts on X (state legislators)

    The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

    personal attacks · target: WalzSource

All 228 statements

Newest first, the MN 2025–26 session

The full feed

Five statements at a time, newest first; filters apply to the statements loaded so far. Export saves the statements that match. Sources: 228 posts on X.

Back to topNext: Policy

Policy

Health is what Nelson talks about most: 20% of policy statements, 2.2 times the peer share. Talk and legislation agree at 0.56 on a 0–1 scale (State Senate Republicans average 0.52; 96th of 226).

Each policy statement is tagged by the AI model with one or more of 25 policy areas from the Congressional Research Service list, so the shares say what Nelson talks about. The bills Nelson sponsors and cosponsors carry the same areas, so the two can be compared.

What Nelson talks about

Share of policy statements by area, the MN 2025–26 session

0%35%
Nelson
Peers
Health22 statements
20%
9%
Education21 statements
19%
14%
Economics and Public Finance14 statements
13%
12%
Government Operations and Politics13 statements
12%
17%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues12 statements
11%
5%
Show the data
Policy areas Nelson talks about, as a share of policy statements, against the State Senate Republicans average.
RowNelsonPeers
Health20%9%
Education19%14%
Economics and Public Finance13%12%
Government Operations and Politics12%17%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues11%5%
How to read the bars

The thick bar is the share of Nelson’s policy statements in an area; the thin grey bar is the average share for State Senate Republicans. A statement counts once in each of its areas, so shares can add to more than 100%. The five largest areas are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

Talks about · legislates on

Left: share of statements by policy area. Right: share of bills. Areas in order of their share of statements; both sides run from 0 to 35%. Grey ticks are the State Senate Republicans averages.

Talks aboutLegislates onHealthHealth, talks about: 20% (State Senate Republicans 9%)20%Health, legislates on: 10% (State Senate Republicans 11%)10%EducationEducation, talks about: 19% (State Senate Republicans 14%)19%Education, legislates on: 5% (State Senate Republicans 10%)5%Economics and Public FinanceEconomics and Public Finance, talks about: 13% (State Senate Republicans 12%)13%Economics and Public Finance, legislates on: 2% (State Senate Republicans 3%)2%Government Operations andPoliticsGovernment Operations and Politics, talks about: 12% (State Senate Republicans 17%)12%Government Operations and Politics, legislates on: 4% (State Senate Republicans 12%)4%Civil Rights and Liberties,Minority IssuesCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues, talks about: 11% (State Senate Republicans 5%)11%Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues, legislates on: 5% (State Senate Republicans 3%)5%
Show the data
Nelson's share of statements against share of bills in each policy area.
AreaTalks aboutState Senate Republicans, talks aboutLegislates onState Senate Republicans, legislates on
Health20%9%10%11%
Education19%14%5%10%
Economics and Public Finance13%12%2%3%
Government Operations and Politics12%17%4%12%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues11%5%5%3%
0.56

talk-to-bills agreement, 0 to 1

State Senate Republicans average 0.52. Ranks 96th of 226.

What agreement means, and what it doesn’t

Agreement is 1 minus the distance between the two distributions (Jensen–Shannon): 1 means Nelson legislates on exactly the areas Nelson talks about, in the same proportions; 0 means no overlap. It does not say whether the bills match the positions in the statements, only the subjects. Bills Nelson sponsored count fully, cosponsored bills a quarter. Shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Nelson sits at +0.07 on the CSIP scale, right of 0, more liberal than 87% of State Senate Republicans. Approximate range +0.03 to +0.11, which understates the uncertainty; from 452 donors and 118 roll calls.

CSIP, the lab’s Common-Space Ideal Point, places every official, federal and state, on one left–right scale, estimated from roll-call votes, who gives money to whom, and the text of statements. Negative is left of 0, positive right of it; 0 is the centre of the scale, not a definition of “moderate”.

+0.07

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range +0.03 to +0.11. From 452 donors and 118 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Nelson +0.1State Senate Republicans +0.4Minnesota Senate −0.3All State Senate +0.1

The outlined dot is Nelson, coloured by its side of 0 (blue left, red right, deeper further out); the bar through it is the approximate range (±1.96 standard errors), which understates the uncertainty; the grey ticks below are the medians of Nelson’s groups. 0 is the centre of the scale, not “moderate” by definition.

What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score summarises how an official votes, who funds them and how they talk, relative to everyone else. It does not grade positions as good or bad, and two officials with the same score can differ on any single issue. The ± range is 1.96 standard errors, which understates the uncertainty: scores whose ranges overlap may not differ at all, and even scores whose ranges do not overlap may not differ.

Where Nelson sits

Every official in each group, on the CSIP scale

−2.0−1.00.0+1.0+2.0← More liberalMore conservative →State Senate Republicansmedian +0.4Nelson +0.1Minnesota Senatemedian −0.3All State Senatemedian +0.1
Show the data
Nelson's CSIP score of +0.07 placed against State Senate Republicans, Minnesota Senate, All State Senate.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Nelson
State Senate Republicans1083+0.413%
Minnesota Senate67−0.354%
All State Senate1909+0.150%
How to read the strips

Every small dot is one official on the same scale, coloured by its own score (blue left of 0, red right of 0, grey at 0, deeper further out) and spread up and down only to keep dots apart; where a group is crowded the dots overlap, and darker patches mean more officials. The large outlined dot is Nelson in every row; the rule is each group’s median. The table under the figure gives the share of each group to the left of Nelson.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Nelson reported $15.4K in the 2026 cycle, 33% of the State Senate Republicans’ median of $46.2K. State filings report no small-donation total. 0% of itemized individual money came from Minnesota.

Campaign money from state campaign-finance filings, as aggregates only; the lab never shows an individual donor. Campaigns must report by name every person who gives them more than $200 in a cycle (“itemized”); smaller gifts are reported only as one total (“unitemized”), so donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations describe itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift total, so these figures add up itemized contributions only.

Election cycle
$15.4K

itemized in the 2026 cycle

From 11 itemized donors. State Senate Republicans’ median $46.2K.

Where the money came from

Each square is one percent of itemized contributions in the 2026 cycle.

Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)Individuals (itemized): $6,000 (38.9%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)PACs and other committees: $9,425 (61.1%)
  • Individuals (itemized)39 squares$6,000
  • PACs and other committees61 squares$9,425
Show the data
Sources of Nelson's money, 2026 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$6,00038.9%
PACs and other committees$9,42561.1%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

Totals say how much a campaign took in, not how it was spent, and they rise sharply when a seat is up for election; compare cycles with that in mind.

Receipts by cycle

Itemized contributions, 2020 to 2026. The grey line is the State Senate Republicans’ median for 2026.

2020 cycle: $91.4K$91.4K20202022 cycle: $68.4K$68.4K20222024 cycle: $12.6K$12.6K20242026 cycle: $15.4K$15.4K2026State Senate Republicans median $46.2K
Show the data
Nelson's receipts by cycle against the 2026 State Senate Republicans median.
ItemValue
2020 cycle$91.4K
2022 cycle$68.4K
2024 cycle$12.6K
2026 cycle$15.4K

Top donor states, 2026

Itemized contributions by donor state. 0% came from Minnesota.

No itemized donors with an address.

Small donations

State filings report no total for small gifts.

Not reported in state filings.

Where itemized donors live

Individuals who gave more than $200, by donor state

Alaska: no dataAKMaine: no dataMEVermont: no dataVTNew Hampshire: no dataNHWashington: no dataWAIdaho: no dataIDMontana: no dataMTNorth Dakota: no dataNDMinnesota: no dataMNIllinois: no dataILWisconsin: no dataWIMichigan: no dataMINew York: no dataNYRhode Island: no dataRIMassachusetts: no dataMAOregon: no dataORNevada: no dataNVWyoming: no dataWYSouth Dakota: no dataSDIowa: no dataIAIndiana: no dataINOhio: no dataOHPennsylvania: no dataPANew Jersey: no dataNJConnecticut: no dataCTCalifornia: no dataCAUtah: no dataUTColorado: no dataCONebraska: no dataNEMissouri: no dataMOKentucky: no dataKYWest Virginia: no dataWVVirginia: no dataVAMaryland: no dataMDDelaware: no dataDEArizona: no dataAZNew Mexico: no dataNMKansas: no dataKSArkansas: no dataARTennessee: no dataTNNorth Carolina: no dataNCSouth Carolina: no dataSCDistrict of Columbia: no dataDCOklahoma: no dataOKLouisiana: no dataLAMississippi: no dataMSAlabama: no dataALGeorgia: no dataGAHawaii: no dataHITexas: no dataTXFlorida: no dataFL
Show the data
Nelson's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2026 cycle
StateValue
AlaskaNo data
MaineNo data
VermontNo data
New HampshireNo data
WashingtonNo data
IdahoNo data
MontanaNo data
North DakotaNo data
MinnesotaNo data
IllinoisNo data
WisconsinNo data
MichiganNo data
New YorkNo data
Rhode IslandNo data
MassachusettsNo data
OregonNo data
NevadaNo data
WyomingNo data
South DakotaNo data
IowaNo data
IndianaNo data
OhioNo data
PennsylvaniaNo data
New JerseyNo data
ConnecticutNo data
CaliforniaNo data
UtahNo data
ColoradoNo data
NebraskaNo data
MissouriNo data
KentuckyNo data
West VirginiaNo data
VirginiaNo data
MarylandNo data
DelawareNo data
ArizonaNo data
New MexicoNo data
KansasNo data
ArkansasNo data
TennesseeNo data
North CarolinaNo data
South CarolinaNo data
District of ColumbiaNo data
OklahomaNo data
LouisianaNo data
MississippiNo data
AlabamaNo data
GeorgiaNo data
HawaiiNo data
TexasNo data
FloridaNo data
11

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

0%

from Minnesota

Of itemized individual dollars

How to read the map

Every state the same size. Darker states gave more itemized money; hatched states had no itemized donors; the outlined state is Minnesota. Gifts of $200 or less carry no address and are left out.

Top donor occupations

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No occupations reported.

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2026 cycle.

  1. MN CPAS PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE$1,000
  2. MN LOCAL BUSINESS ALLIANCE PAC$1,000
  3. RURAL ELECTRIC POLITICAL ACTION COMM$1,000
  4. CORNER HOME MEDICAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$500
  5. IBEW 110 PAC$500

Top employers

Itemized, 2026 cycle.

No employers reported.

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Nelson voted with the majority of Minnesota Senate Republicans on 66% of party-line votes and missed none of 148 roll calls. Minnesota Senate on average: 93.0% party unity, 100% attendance. Across all roll calls, Nelson voted against the majority of Minnesota Senate Republicans 20 times.

148 roll calls Nelson could vote on in the MN 2025–26 session, compared with Minnesota Senate. Attendance is the share with a vote recorded. Party unity counts only party-line roll calls, where most Democrats and most Republicans voted on opposite sides, and is the share of those where Nelson voted with the majority of Minnesota Senate Republicans. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

20

votes against the majority of Minnesota Senate Republicans

Party unity 66%, Minnesota Senate average 93.0%, ranks 66th of 67. 148 roll calls in the MN 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

The thick bar is Nelson, the thin grey bar the Minnesota Senate average. The scale runs from 60% to 100% to show the gap.

60%100%
Nelson
Peers
Rank
Attendance
100%
100%
34th of 67
Party unity
66%
93.0%
66th of 67
Show the data
Nelson's attendance and party unity against Minnesota Senate.
RowNelsonPeers
Attendance100%100%
Party unity66%93.0%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

A missed roll call has many causes, from illness to campaigning, so attendance says how often, not why. A vote against the majority can be on procedure as well as substance, and many fall on roll calls where both parties split; the key votes below show the ones that decided something.

Key votes

25 roll calls the lab flagged as key in the MN 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
May 17, 2026
SF 3967
Due date of the pediatric hospital-to-home transition pilot program report modification
Third reading Passed as amended
NayWith majoritypassD 34–0 · R 6–27Democrats 34 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 6 yea, 27 nayparty crossover
May 17, 2026
HF 3629
Program payment withholding provided for credible allegation of fraud, grant management provisions changed, and program integrity reports required.
Third reading Passed as amended
YeaWith majoritypassD 34–0 · R 33–0Democrats 34 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 33 yea, 0 naybecame law
May 17, 2026
HF 719
Safe routes to school grant program funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
Third reading Passed
YeaWith majoritypassD 34–0 · R 26–7Democrats 34 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 26 yea, 7 naybecame law · party crossover
May 17, 2026
HF 4492
Read Act modified, early literacy field experiences required for teacher candidates, high school diploma established for veterans, and rulemaking required.
Third reading Passed as amended
YeaWith majoritypassD 34–0 · R 33–0Democrats 34 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 33 yea, 0 naybecame law
May 17, 2026
HF 2484
Bonding bill; spending authorized to acquire and better land and buildings and for other improvements of a capital nature, new programs established and existing programs modified, report required, prior appropriations modified and canceled, and money appropriated.
Third reading Passed
NayWith majoritypassD 34–0 · R 16–17Democrats 34 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 16 yea, 17 naybecame law · party crossover
How key votes are chosen

Automatically: a final-passage or override vote where the measure became law, the margin was under 10%, at least 10% of either party voted against its majority, or the bill was among the 25 most mentioned in officials’ own statements. Up to 25 per window, most recent first; five are shown. Bars show yea on the left, nay on the right, per party.

Votes most often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Nelson most often

  1. Julia ColemanR143 shared votes92%
  2. Rob FarnsworthR147 shared votes91%
  3. Karin HousleyR142 shared votes90%
  4. Gene DorninkR148 shared votes89%
  5. Jeremy MillerR134 shared votes89%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Nelson least often

  1. Mike HolmstromR97 shared votes65%
  2. Eric LuceroR145 shared votes66%
  3. Cal BahrR145 shared votes66%
  4. Nathan WesenbergR148 shared votes68%
  5. Bill LieskeR148 shared votes69%
How to read the agreement lists

The share of roll calls both members voted on where they voted the same way, among colleagues sharing at least 50 such votes. High agreement with members of the other party is common on routine votes.

Full voting record

MN 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Nelson sponsored 88 bills in the MN 2025–26 session; none became law. Cosponsored 134 others. 0% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Minnesota Senate average 3.1%; 55th of 67).

The bills Nelson sponsored and cosponsored in the MN 2025–26 session, from the official bill records, and how far each got: introduced, referred to or acted on in committee, passed one chamber, passed both, became law. A bill counts at every stage it has reached, so the blocks only shrink to the right.

Bills by stage

Counts for the MN 2025–26 session

Sponsored88 billsSponsored, Introduced: 8888Sponsored, In committee: 8888Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 00Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 00Sponsored, Became law: 00Cosponsored134 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 134134Cosponsored, In committee: 134134Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 44Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 33Cosponsored, Became law: 33IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Nelson sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored8888000
Cosponsored134134433
How to read the blocks

Ink blocks are bills Nelson sponsored, ochre blocks bills Nelson cosponsored; the figure above each block is the count. Most bills in any legislature never leave committee, so a short staircase is the norm.

0%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

Minnesota Senate average 3.1%. Ranks 55th of 67.

Cosponsorship partners

Colleagues who most often cosponsor with Nelson, by number of shared bills in the MN 2025–26 session; the square shows their party.

  1. Liz Boldon40
  2. Karin Housley31
  3. Bill Weber30
  4. Julia Coleman25
  5. Aric Putnam24
What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score is the share of sponsored bills that a committee reported out or a chamber passed, with at least 5 sponsored bills, ranked within the peer group. Members of the majority party and committee chairs move more bills, so the rank reflects position in the chamber as well as effort. Cosponsorship partners are the five colleagues who share the most of Nelson’s bills; the toggle shows more.

Bill list

Sponsored and cosponsored, with status and policy area; five are shown, the toggle shows the rest

Bills sponsored and cosponsored
SF 5294Law enforcement holds of certain persons subject to federal immigration detainers authorizationCosponsorMay 14, 2026In committeeImmigration(model)Referred to Judiciary and Public Safety May 14, 2026
SR 84A Senate resolution congratulating Liam Arroyo of Rochester, Minnesota, for earning the rank of Eagle ScoutSponsorMay 5, 2026In committeeUnassignedReferred to Rules and Administration May 5, 2026
SF 5179Coercion of a pregnant minor female into seeking or obtaining an abortion prohibition, human trafficking of minors screening and reporting provision, certain information displayed requirement provision, and wrongful death resulting from an abortion additional action provisionSponsorApr 20, 2026In committeeCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues(model)Referred to Health and Human Services Apr 20, 2026
SF 5070Nonemergency medical transportation providers requirement to operate vehicles equipped with a global position system and rear-facing cameraSponsorApr 13, 2026In committeeHealth(model)Authors added Hoffman; Abeler Apr 14, 2026
SF 5111Safe schools revenue increaseCosponsorApr 13, 2026In committeeEducation(model)Author added Nelson Apr 15, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

A site that changed 1 time in 90 days. Nelson’s official site had 1 page when last crawled on Oct 1, 2026.

The lab crawls Nelson’s official and campaign websites (weekly for Congress, monthly for the states) and keeps every page’s text, so changes can be read later; it also records social accounts and describes the images Nelson posts with a vision model.

Websites

How to read the counts

“Pages crawled” is the size of the site at the last crawl; “changes in 90 days” counts pages whose text differed from the previous crawl. Sites change for many routine reasons, such as new press releases, so a high count is not by itself notable.

Images Nelson posted

No images from Nelson’s posts have been described.

About the descriptions

Written by a vision model and may be wrong. Open the post to see the original. Five are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

State floor speeches

393 turns, Feb 17, 2020 to May 17, 2026

Floor speeches

Transcribed from chamber video or captions by the lab. They are not classified for kinds of statement.

Back to topNext: Methods and sources

Methods and sources

How this page was made. Profile built Oct 28, 2026; site last built Oct 28, 2026. Every number on the page is computed from the sources listed here, by the same rules for every official; nothing is written by hand.

The headline

The headline is the measure on which Nelson is most unusual among State Senate Republicans, chosen by one rule for every official of every party. The candidates are the rate of each kind of statement and of extreme labels, party unity, attendance, the small-donor share, the in-state share and total receipts of the latest cycle, the share of sponsored bills that got out of committee, talk-to-bills agreement, and the CSIP score’s place within the party group.

The builder ranks every measure within the same peer group the page compares it with, and writes each official’s percentile: the share of the group below the value, ties counting half, so 0.5 is the median and a value shared by many never ranks first. A measure’s score is how far that percentile sits from the median (0 in the middle, 0.5 at either end), and the highest score leads if it is above 0.25, outside the middle half of the group. Scores within 0.03 of each other are a tie, broken in this order: votes against the party majority, kinds of statement, ideology, roll calls missed, small donations, in-state money, legislation, agreement, extreme labels, receipts.

A measure counts only with at least 200 statements, 100 roll calls or 5 sponsored bills behind it and a peer group of at least 10. Two things never lead: high party unity or attendance, where most members sit, and a high rate of a kind of statement backed by fewer than 10 statements. When nothing qualifies, the headline is a neutral fact instead: statements classified, or years in office. The wording always names the direction (“in the bottom 5% of …”, “votes against the majority of …”).

Identifiers

Profile id
69ac712d-4de2-448a-8b84-ef07b4c4e423
Open States
ocd-person/69ac712d-4de2-448a-8b84-ef07b4c4e423

Bulk files with the same data for every official:

Freshness of this profile’s data

  • What politicians sayOct 27, 20261 days agoMembers of Congress: tweets since 2017; press releases, newsletters and floor speeches since 2022. State legislators: tweets since May 2024. Governors: tweets since January 2025. Labels from an LLM classifier.
  • Roll calls (state)Oct 21, 20267 days agoOpen States floor roll calls, 2019 on (none for AK and MO).
  • Bills (state)Oct 28, 2026todayOpen States bills and sponsors, 2019 on; stages from roll calls.
  • Campaign money (state)no dateState campaign-finance agencies, 2019 on; aggregates only.
  • Ideology (CSIP)Oct 25, 20263 days agoCommon-Space Ideal Points (CSIP), current validated run.
  • WebsitesOct 25, 20263 days agoWeekly crawls of federal sites since April 2026; monthly state crawls since June 2026.
  • State floor speechesOct 21, 20267 days agoState floor speech turns (published transcripts and captions), 2020 on; not LLM-classified.

How the measures work

What politicians say
Every post, press release, newsletter and congressional floor speech is read by a language model and marked for personal attacks, policy criticism, policy discussion, bipartisanship and credit claiming. A statement can be in several. Rates are shares of statements in the window. The methods paper.
Extreme labels
A statement has an extreme label when it calls a politician, party or policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who the label is aimed at.
Policy areas and agreement
Statements and bills share 25 Congressional Research Service policy areas (state bills are assigned by a language model). Agreement is 1 − Jensen–Shannon distance between the two distributions, shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.
Ideology (CSIP)
Common-Space Ideal Points place federal and state officials on one left–right scale, estimated jointly from roll calls, campaign contributions and the text of statements, with standard errors. Only a validated run is shown. The methods paper.
Campaign money
Campaigns report by name only donors who give more than $200 in a cycle; smaller gifts are reported as one total. Federal totals and the small-donor share come from the FEC’s financial summaries of each campaign committee. Donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations cover itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift totals, so state figures are itemized only. The lab never publishes donor names.
Votes and key votes
Attendance, party unity and the count of votes against the majority of an official’s own party come from roll calls (Voteview for Congress, chamber records for the states). Key votes are final-passage or override votes that became law, were decided by under 10%, saw at least 10% of a party vote against its majority, or concerned one of the 25 bills most mentioned in officials’ statements.
Peers and ranks
Comparisons are with the same party, chamber and level (for example House Democrats); state legislators are compared within their state and chamber for votes. Every comparison names its group. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; tied values share the average of their ranks, and the percentile is the share of the group below the value, ties counting half.

America’s Political Pulse · Polarization Research Lab

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