Minnesota House, District 51B
TLDR: Nathan Coulter (DFL) is running for another term against Jim Lund (Republican). The winner serves a 2-year term, and it's on the ballot only for Bloomington voters in House District 51B (find yours in the voter guide).
Jim LundRepublican- Now
- President emeritus, Twin Cities Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
- Lives in
- Bloomington
- Background
- President emeritus of the Twin Cities Chapter of Certified Fraud Examiners youtube.com
- Chapter president of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners' Twin Cities Chapter (2022) acfechapternews.com
- Says he has served as an election judge youtube.com
- First-time candidate; campaign committee registered with the Campaign Finance Board July 21, 2026 cfb.mn.gov
Nathan CoulterDemocratic-Farmer-Labor, incumbent- Now
- State Representative, House District 51B (since 2023); Assistant DFL Floor Leader
- Lives in
- Bloomington
- Background
- Minnesota House, District 51B, 2023–present; Assistant DFL Floor Leader (2025–26) lrl.mn.gov
- Committees (2025–26): Higher Education Finance and Policy (co-vice chair); Rules and Legislative Administration; Children and Families Finance and Policy; Elections Finance and Government Operations house.mn.gov
- Bloomington City Council, 2018–2023 lrl.mn.gov
- Bloomington Housing and Redevelopment Authority commissioner (2015–2019; 2022–2023); Perpich Center for Arts Education board (2015–2019) lrl.mn.gov
- About 10 years on Minnesota Senate staff as a legislative assistant and in DFL research lrl.mn.gov
- B.A. in political science and music, St. Olaf College; M.P.A., Humphrey School of Public Affairs (2019) lrl.mn.gov
- Listed his occupation as "stay-at-home dad" in the Sun Current's 2024 voters guide hometownsource.com
- In office
- Says his 2026 bills on food shelf and regional food bank funding and on modernizing child care licensing passed; reported $4 million for the Bloomington North Central Sanitary Sewer in the 2026 infrastructure bill house.mn.gov
- Authored HF 4994 (2024), prevailing-wage requirements for publicly financed housing projects; passed the House May 2024 house.mn.gov
- Authored provision in the 2024 House higher education policy bill (HF 4024) regulating online program managers house.mn.gov
- Authored HF 1653 (2023) to turn the renter's credit into a refundable income-tax credit; heard and laid over for possible inclusion in a larger bill house.mn.gov
- Co-authored and voted for the PRO Act, HF 1, on reproductive rights (January 2023) house.mn.gov
- Co-authored and voted for Earned Sick and Safe Time, HF 19 (passed the House 69-54, February 2023) house.mn.gov
- Co-authored and voted for Paid Family and Medical Leave, HF 2 (May 2023) house.mn.gov
- Raised
- $14,106, $7,691 on hand cfb.mn.gov
Q: Where do they stand on taxes?
Lund: Wants to focus on "not increasing taxes" and says tax cuts and tax breaks are what people and companies need, especially in Bloomington. youtube.com
Coulter: Says "budget decisions are policy decisions" and that budget and tax priorities should focus on "supporting and growing the middle class, not rewarding the people and businesses who are already more than well-off." neighborsfornathan.com
Q: Where do they stand on fraud in state programs?
Lund: Says preventing fraud comes down to "internal controls" and "governance, risk and compliance"; suggests blockchain ledgers so residents could see state transactions, and says some fraud accusations have been "a little over the top." youtube.com
Coulter: Says fraud is unacceptable and the state's response "was not as speedy as it should have been"; points to the new Office of Inspector General and the attorney general's Medicaid fraud unit, and wants a closer look at what the state contracts out to private groups. youtube.com
Q: Where do they stand on guns?
Lund: Says people who want to own a gun should be free to; calls safe storage "extremely important" and says community input should guide legislation. youtube.com
Coulter: Supports banning "semi-automatic military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines," plus safe-storage rules and mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns. youtube.com
Q: Where do they stand on housing?
Lund: Supports tax breaks and tax credits for lenders, builders and buyers. youtube.com
Coulter: Says the best way to make housing affordable is "to build more housing"; supports state zoning and land-use reform. youtube.com
Q: Where do they stand on schools?
Lund: Says decisions should start with "family input" and the needs of each student; named education as an issue he wants to focus on more. youtube.com
Coulter: Says he will work to ensure schools "have the resources needed to succeed" and that policies "support students rather than target them," and wants to continue the 2023 budget's work of "correcting the decades of underfunding" of public schools. neighborsfornathan.com
Q: Where do they stand on immigration enforcement?
Lund: Asked at the Sept. 10 forum what measures he would support to keep immigration enforcement within Minnesota law and the Constitution, he said following the rules "especially within the constitution" gives everybody "a framework upon which to work"; he did not name specific measures. youtube.com
Coulter: Says the 2026 federal enforcement surge hurt Bloomington families and businesses; wants to use state law to protect residents' constitutional rights. youtube.com
