U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, a Democrat who represents Minnesota's 8th U.S. Congressional District, is considering a run for governor, Nolan said Wednesday.
In a phone interview with the Dispatch, Nolan confirmed he was pondering whether to run in 2018. Nolan said while he was leaning toward staying on as 8th District congressman, a number of people encouraged him to consider running to replace DFL Gov. Mark Dayton when Dayton leaves office. In particular, DFL activist Brian Rice wrote Nolan a long memo urging him to do it, Nolan said.
"It was not an idea of mine," he said. "It's one of those things that genuinely came from other sources, and out of respect for them, I said I would give it some thought."
Nolan added he would take time to think about running, but his duties at the House of Representatives would likely keep him occupied over the coming weeks as they deal with President-elect Donald Trump's agenda.
Asked when he would make a decision about whether to run, Nolan said he had no idea. He said the existing field of declared and potential DFL candidates for governor was good, but added his own appeal to rural voters was driving DFL interest in the idea of him running.
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"There's a sense that we need a strong candidate that resonates with people in rural areas," he said.
He pointed out he had represented a large geographic portion of the state over his career, as the 8th District once extended much farther south. Asked whether he was concerned a hypothetical gubernatorial run would mean the 8th District would then flip to Republicans, Nolan replied it wouldn't if Democrats were having a good midterm election year generally.
"I'm not unhappy in the least representing the 8th District," he said. "In fact, I take great joy in that. So I probably ... lean more towards continuing to represent the 8th District."
