Rick Nolan, who represented two Minnesota congressional districts three decades apart, dies at 80

MINNEAPOLIS – Former Rep. Rick Nolan, a Democrat who represented different congressional districts in Minnesota during two terms three decades apart, died Friday, his wife said. He was 80.

Mary Nolan said her husband suffered from heart problems and died at their home in Nisswa. The paramedics were unable to revive him. He was active until the end, campaigning for Democratic candidates on the Iron Range as recently as last week, she said, noting that he spent the last two days mowing trails on their land in preparation for deer hunting season .

“His passion for justice did not diminish until the end,” she said.

Rick Nolan made his second run for Congress when he was elected in 1974 to represent the 6th District, which then stretched from east-central Minnesota to the southwestern corner of the state. He served three terms but did not run for re-election in 1980, a year in which he broke with many Democrats and supported Senator Ted Kennedy rather than supporting President Jimmy Carter's re-election bid.

Three decades later, Nolan returned to electoral politics when he defeated Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack in 2012 in the 8th District, which stretches from the Canadian border to the northern edge of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. He won three close races and secured victory in 2016 despite Donald Trump leading the district by more than 15 percentage points. When he announced his retirement in 2018, he said: “Now it is time for me to pass the baton to the next generation.”

But Nolan wasn't done with politics yet. He was Attorney General Lori Swanson's candidate in her unsuccessful race for governor this year. They lost the Democratic primary to current Gov. Tim Walz, who tweeted Wednesday that Nolan's “speeches could blow the lid off the roof.”

Other Democrats also spoke up with tributes.

“With his booming voice and passion for people, Rick was a unique leader,” said U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. “He was the comeback kid. He was one of the youngest members of Congress He was one of the oldest freshmen when he was sworn in again at age 69. He was a consummate lover of nature, a lover of work, and he never forgot where he came from.

Ken Martin, state chairman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the official name of the Democratic Party in Minnesota, called Nolan “a champion of the Northland who fought fiercely to protect working people from corporate interests. From Ely to Duluth, he was an ambassador of the DFL credo: “We all do better when we all do better.”

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, the dean of the state's congressional delegation, called Nolan “a dedicated public servant who loved the Northland, he was a true Minnesotan – look no further than his hot dish contest where he shared the juice.” “he harvested, venison which he hunted, and wild rice which he gathered with his own hands.”

Funeral arrangements are still pending.