Biography
Rusty Nelson is the Democratic candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives, District 21A, in the November 3, 2026 general election, where he faces Republican Krist Wollum.[1][2] A longtime science teacher with a Ph.D. in biochemistry, he has served as an EMT in his community for more than 20 years.[3]
Rusty Nelson graduated from Red River High School, earned a bachelor's degree from Concordia College, Moorhead, in 1976, and received a Ph.D. from the University of North Dakota in 1986.[2] In a Ballotpedia survey, he said he conducted research for 13 years, including three years in Scotland, and then taught secondary science for 29 years and Spanish for four years.[3] He said he is a church trustee, president of the local Senior Center, a volunteer at a local nursing home, and has been an EMT in the community for over 20 years.[3] Nelson listed defending rural health care from Medicaid cuts, supporting volunteer fire and ambulance services, and stable markets and supply chains for agriculture as his key messages.[3] He named health care, education and the rural economy as his primary policy concerns.[3]
- 1.Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Rusty Nelson · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Rusty Nelson - Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Minnesota House District 21A
Rusty Nelson is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Minnesota House District 21A as D. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.