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Nelson visits Waupaca

Senate candidate makes 70th campaign stop

By James Card


Just as Tom Nelson, a 45-year-old politician was greeting the small gathering at the upper shelter at Shadow Lake, a latecomer rolled in wearing a red ball cap. “Don’t let the red hat scare you off,” he said, and the group got a chuckle out of the wise guy comment.

The red hat was a reference to red-hat Trump supporters, and if Tom Nelson were to wear a hat, it would be blue.

But Nelson has no fear of going to work in Republican country. As a Democrat, he has been voted into office six times in red districts: three times as a state assemblyman and three times as Outagamie County executive.

He is basing this in-the-lion’s-den track record to wage a campaign to take on Ron Johnson in the 2022 Senate election.

Nelson believes that his experience in building consensus among Democrats and Republicans to get meaningful legislation passed is a strength that very few candidates possess. He says he never would have won any of those elections if he did not have this bipartisan touch.

He grew up in Little Chute in a blue-collar neighborhood, son of a Lutheran pastor. His mother instilled in him to never forget where he came from, and he uses this as a litmus test as a legislator when studying legislation: Is this good for the supper club owner? Is this good for the farmer? Is this good for the paper mill worker? Is this good for working-class families?

This is the attitude he intends to take to Washington.

Candidate’s concerns

Nelson is gravely concerned about the massive concentration of corporate power and consolidation and sees it leading to a loss of jobs, environmental degradation, and being destructive to communities.

He is also concerned about climate change and believes Wisconsin can be a leader.

“This is the birthplace of the modern-day environmental movement,” he said.

He is the author of a recently published book, “One Day Stronger: How One Union Local Saved a Mill and Changed an Industry – and What it Means for American Manufacturing.”

Nelson’s book tells the story of his involvement in protecting Appleton Coated, a 128-year-old mill, from getting sold off to an industrial scrapper. It’s a story of protecting hundreds of jobs and saving a landmark business in the community.

After his introduction and an overview of his political concerns, he opened a question-and-answer session about Waupaca County.

Among the topics discussed were: affordable housing for low-income families, high-capacity wells, and groundwater quality. Nelson recorded these comments in a small orange notebook.
Nelson has a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton.

He plans to visit all of 72 Wisconsin counties and logging over 6,000 miles. Waupaca was his 70th stop.

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