Nolan West

Nolan West
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 32A district
37B (2017-2022)
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byTim Sanders
Personal details
Born (1990-09-30) September 30, 1990
PartyRepublican
Alma materUniversity of Minnesota

Nolan West (born September 30, 1990) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2017. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, West represents District 32A in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the city of Blaine, Ham Lake, and parts of Anoka County.[1][2]

Early life, education, and career

West was raised in Blaine, Minnesota.[3] He attended Meadow Creek Christian School in Andover (the year after he graduated, the school’s name was changed to Legacy Christian Academy).[4] He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts in history and a minor in political science.[1] He was a legislative assistant for the Republican caucus in the Minnesota House of Representatives for almost two years until he resigned in September 2016 after reports of several racist posts he had made on Facebook.[5][6][7][8]

Minnesota House of Representatives

West was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016, after incumbent Tim Sanders retired, and has been reelected every two years since. He serves as an assistant minority leader and sits on the Capital Investment, Education Finance, and Transportation Finance and Policy Committees.[9]

West's first session was the 90th legislative session (2017–18), in which he was chief author of 30 bills,[10] most notably HF0187,[11] HF0297,[12] and HF1496,[13] all of which addressed one of the main infrastructure issues of his district, Highway 65. No bill that West chief authored made it through committee; all were dead/failed.[10]

Unlike most other members of the Republican caucus, West has been a strong supporter of legalizing recreational cannabis in Minnesota.[14][15][16] During the 92nd Minnesota Legislature, he voted for HF600, a bill that would have legalized cannabis in the state, though it was not taken up by the Republican-controlled Senate.[17] During the 93rd Legislature, West was one of five House Republicans who voted for HF100, which similarly legalized cannabis in the state; the bill was also passed by the DFL-controlled Senate and signed into law by Governor Tim Walz. West gave a 15-minute speech in support of the bill, comparing cannabis to other legal recreational drugs, such as nicotine and alcohol.[18]

Electoral history

2016 Minnesota State House - District 37B[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Nolan West 11,473 50.26
Democratic (DFL) Susan Witt 11,305 49.52
Write-in 49 0.21
Total votes 22,827 100.0
Republican hold
2018 Minnesota State House - District 37B[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Nolan West (incumbent) 10,254 50.22
Democratic (DFL) Amir Joseph Malik 10,101 49.47
Write-in 65 0.32
Total votes 20,420 100.0
Republican hold
2020 Minnesota State House - District 37B[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Nolan West (incumbent) 14,328 52.40
Democratic (DFL) Amir Joseph Malik 12,984 47.48
Write-in 33 0.12
Total votes 27,345 100.0
Republican hold
2022 Minnesota State House - District 32A[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Nolan West (incumbent) 11,067 57.25
Democratic (DFL) Ashton Ramsammy 8,247 42.66
Write-in 16 0.08
Total votes 19,330 100.0
Republican hold

Personal life

West resides in Blaine, Minnesota.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "West, Nolan". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  2. ^ Nelson, Todd (March 15, 2017). "Breaking the Ice: From controversial candidate to freshman lawmaker". Minnesota Lawyer. BridgeTower Media. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  3. ^ "Nolan West to run for Minnesota House". ABC Newspapers. ECM Publishers. March 13, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  4. ^ VanArragon, Caleb (2018-10-11). "District 37B Minnesota State House Election Guide: Nolan West and Amir Malik". BHS Blueprint. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  5. ^ Coolican, J. Patrick (September 14, 2016). "House candidate Nolan West deletes pro-Confederate, anti-Lincoln postings". Star Tribune. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  6. ^ Stassen-Berger, Rachel E. (September 14, 2016). "MN House candidate's posts about lynching, Abe Lincoln condemned". Pioneer Press. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  7. ^ Coolican, J. Patrick (September 16, 2016). "House GOP candidate resigns from staff job after fallout from Confederate flag posts". Star Tribune. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  8. ^ Moran-Froemming, Mandy (September 26, 2016). "West aplogizes, blames controversial posts on his youth". ABC Newspapers. ECM Publishers. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  9. ^ "Rep. Nolan West (37B) - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  10. ^ a b "Minnesota Legislature - Office of the Revisor of Statutes". www.revisor.mn.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  11. ^ "HF 187 Status in the House for the 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018)". www.revisor.mn.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  12. ^ "HF 297 Status in the House for the 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018)". www.revisor.mn.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  13. ^ "HF 1496 Status in the House for the 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018)". www.revisor.mn.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  14. ^ "Marijuana legalization advancing in Minnesota Legislature". AP News. 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  15. ^ "House passes finalized cannabis legalization bill, sends it to Senate - Session Daily - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.mn.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  16. ^ Tribune, Ryan Faircloth Star. "Minnesota House votes to legalize marijuana". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  17. ^ "Recreational cannabis bill passes House in historic vote - Session Daily - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.mn.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  18. ^ MN Rep goes off about marijuana legalization, retrieved 2024-01-04
  19. ^ "2016 Results for State Representative District 37B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  20. ^ "2018 Results for State Representative District 37B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  21. ^ "2020 Results for State Representative District 37B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  22. ^ "2022 Results for State Representative District 32A". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
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