James A. Nash (born September 23, 1967) is an American politician serving in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint ...

since 2015. A member of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the oldest active political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Republican Party’s platform is relatively moderate. The party’s main issues are economic growth, education, healthcare, civi ...

, Nash represents District 48A in the western

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...

metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Waconia,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, and Chaska, and parts of

Carver County Carver County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is mostly farmland and wilderness with many unincorporated townships. As of the 2020 census, the population was 106,922. Its county seat is Chaska. Carver County is named for ...

Early life, education, and career

James Alexander Nash was born on September 23, 1967, in

Bay Shore, New York Bay Shore is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Islip, New York, United States. It is situated on the South Shore of Long Island, adjoining the Great South Bay. The population of the CDP was 29,244 at the time of the 2020 ...

. When he was a child, his family moved around the United States often, traveling to Minnesota in 1968, Colorado in 1975, Texas in 1984, and Arkansas (where he met his wife Kim) in 1986. Jim and Kim Nash lived in Nebraska from 1992 until 2002. Nash graduated from the

University of Nebraska Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha or UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally kno ...

with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in geographic information systems and political geography. Nash was a chief sales officer for DCIG, and part owner of the company. Before joining DCIG, he led sales divisions for several companies in the transaction processing industry and consulting engineering space. He now works for FRSecure in Minnetonka on its public speaking team, specializing in information security. Nash was elected to the Waconia City Council in 2008, and served two terms as mayor of Waconia from 2011 to 2014. He was appointed to the Crown College Board of Trustees in 2016.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Nash was elected to the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, after the incumbent, Ernie Leidiger, retired, and has been reelected every two years since. In 2014, Nash defeated a primary opponent, Bob Frey, who received news coverage for his controversial views. In 2015, Nash authored bills expanding rights for firearm owners, reforming the Met Council, relaxing regulation on micro-distilleries, and repealing the Interstate Compact for Juveniles. For these efforts in his first year, he was recognized by the League of Minnesota Cities as a Legislator of Distinction for 2015 and the Legislator of the Year by BATC (Builders Association of the Twin Cities). Nash served as an assistant majority leader during the 2017-18 legislative session. When Republicans lost the majority he remained in leadership as an assistant minority leader from 2019 to 2022. Nash has served as the minority whip for the Republican House Caucus since 2023. He is the minority lead on the State and Local Government Finance and Policy Committee and sits on the Housing Finance and Policy, Rules and Legislative Administration, and Ways and Means Committees.

Electoral history

References

External links

''official Minnesota House of Representatives website

''official campaign website''

''voting record - Project Votesmart'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Nash, Jim 1967 births Living people People from Waconia, Minnesota University of Nebraska Omaha alumni Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians