Sean Nienow
Sean R. Nienow (b. March 9, 1968) is a former Republican member of the Minnesota State Senate, representing District 32 from 2011 to 2017.
Nienow previously served in the Senate from 2003 to 2007.
Biography
Nienow's professional experience includes working as a consultant and adviser.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Nienow served on the following committees:
Minnesota committee assignments, 2015 |
---|
• Education, Ranking Minority Member |
• Finance |
• Health, Human Services and Housing |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Nienow served on the following committees:
Minnesota committee assignments, 2013 |
---|
• Education |
• Finance |
• Health, Human Services and Housing |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Nienow served on the following committees:
Minnesota committee assignments, 2011 |
---|
• Agriculture and Rural Economies |
• Education |
• Finance, Vice chair |
• Health and Human Services |
Campaign themes
2012
Nienow's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[1]
Taxes
- Excerpt: "Generally speaking, I believe that we over-taxed and should not pursue more increases in taxes."
State Budget
- Excerpt: "With responsible budgeting we can balance future budget without job-hindering tax increases, let businesses expand and grow jobs, and get the state back on the sound financial footing it was on when I first left the MN Senate in 2007- and left Minnesota with a $2 Billion budget Surplus!"
Jobs and Economic Growth
- Excerpt: "Without employers there can’t be employees. We must create an employer-friendly environment to expand the Minnesota economy. We need to restructure our tax, regulation, permitting & licensing, and work to make get state bureaucracies in a supporting role for job creation rather than a barrier to job creation."
Healthcare
- Excerpt: "Our health care system needs dramatic changes to help improve service and reduce costs. We must reform medical malpractice system, which now mostly benefits trial lawyers. We need to open up free market competition so that more providers can compete offering better less-expensive options."
Education
- Excerpt: "Our education system is in dire need of improvements and reform. We need more local control with less state involvement and fewer mandates. Equity in the convoluted and archaic funding formula is desperately needed, so that schools in other parts of Minnesota are not receiving upwards of twice as much per student as our local districts."
Presidential preference
2012
Sean Nienow endorsed Rick Santorum in the 2012 presidential election.[2]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2016
- See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Minnesota State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 31, 2016.
Mark Koran defeated Tim Nelson in the Minnesota State Senate District 32 general election.[3][4]
Minnesota State Senate, District 32 General Election, 2016 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
Republican | 56.61% | 23,992 | ||
Democratic | Tim Nelson | 43.39% | 18,388 | |
Total Votes | 42,380 | |||
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State |
Tim Nelson ran unopposed in the Minnesota State Senate District 32 Democratic primary.[5][6]
Minnesota State Senate, District 32 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | |
Democratic |
Mark Koran defeated incumbent Sean Nienow in the Minnesota State Senate District 32 Republican primary.[5][6]
Minnesota State Senate, District 32 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
Republican | 63.39% | 1,709 | ||
Republican | Sean Nienow Incumbent | 36.61% | 987 | |
Total Votes | 2,696 |
This candidate ran in one of Ballotpedia's races to watch in 2016. Read more »
2012
- See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2012
Nienow won election in District 32 in 2012 due to redistricting. He was unopposed in the August 14 Republican primary and defeated Jeske Noordergraaf (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[7][8]
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | 54.3% | 21,955 | ||
Democratic | Jeske Noordergraaf | 45.7% | 18,450 | |
Total Votes | 40,405 |
2010
- See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2010
Nienow had no opponent in the primary. He defeated incumbent Rick Olseen (DFL) in the general election.[9]
Minnesota State Senate, District 17 (2010) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
21171 | 56.01% | |||
Rick Olseen (DFL) | 16569 | 43.83% | ||
Write-In | 62 | 0.16% |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Minnesota scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2017
In 2017, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 3 through May 22. The legislature held a special session from May 23 to May 26.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on labor issues.
- Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2016
To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
---|
In 2016, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from March 8 through May 23.
|
2015
To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
---|
In 2015, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 6 through May 18.
|
2014
To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
---|
In 2014, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from February 25 to May 19.
|
2013
To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
---|
In 2013, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 8 to May 20.
|
2012
To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
---|
In 2012, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 24 to May 10.
|
2011
To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
---|
In 2011, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 4 to May 23.
|
Taxpayers League of Minnesota
The Taxpayers League of Minnesota, a Minnesota-based taxpayer advocacy organization, releases a legislative scorecard for the Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota State Senate once a year. The scorecard gives each legislator a score based on how they voted in the prior legislative term on tax issues and “their efforts to balance the state budget without a tax increase.” The organization also compiles a legislator’s individual "Lifetime Score."[10]
2013
Nienow received a score of 92 percent in the 2013 scorecard, ranking 7th out of all 67 Minnesota State Senate members.[11]
2012
Nienow received a score of 71 percent in the 2012 scorecard, ranking 14th out of all 67 Minnesota State Senate members.[12]
2011
Nienow received a score of 85 percent in the 2011 scorecard, ranking 4th out of all 67 Minnesota State Senate members.[13]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Nienow and his wife, Cyndy, have six children.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Sean + Nienow + Minnesota + Senate
External links
- Office website
- Official campaign website
- Sean Nienow on Facebook
- Sean Nienow on Twitter
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ "nienow," Official Campaign Website
- ↑ Rick Santorum for President, "SANTORUM ANNOUNCES MINNESOTA LEADERSHIP ENDORSEMENTS," February 6, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "General election results, 2016," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Primary: Tuesday, August 9, 2016," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "State of Minnesota Canvassing Report," accessed May 25, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Canvassing Report - State Primary - Tuesday, August 14, 2012," accessed April 23, 2014
- ↑ Secretary of State Official general election results
- ↑ Taypayers League of Minnesota, "Legislative Scorecards," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Taypayers League of Minnesota, "Legislative Scorecard, 2013," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Taypayers League of Minnesota, "Legislative Scorecard, 2012," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Taypayers League of Minnesota, "Legislative Scorecard, 2011," accessed May 15, 2014
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Warren Limmer (R) |
Minnesota State Senate District 32 February 2013–2017 |
Succeeded by Mark Koran (R) |
Preceded by Rick Olseen (DFL) |
Minnesota State Senate District 17 2011–2013 |
Succeeded by Lyle Koenen (DFL) |