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Steven Nielson
Steven Nielson was a Libertarian candidate for Washington commissioner of public lands in the 2016 elections.[1] He was defeated in the primary election.
He was also a 2014 Libertarian candidate for District 2-Position 2 of the Washington House of Representatives.[2]
Biography
Nielson earned his B.S. in astronautical engineering from the University of Washington. He is a quality manager/supervisor for an advanced composites manufacturing facility in Kent, Washington. Previously, he led quality teams in human spaceflight, military communication satellites and sub-launched nuclear missiles. Nielson specializes in strategic problem solving and continuous improvement initiatives.[3]
Nielson is active in politics. He served two terms as the secretary of the Douglas County Republican Party in Colorado and as Republican precinct officer. Currently, he holds the position as the secretary of the Libertarian Party of Washington State.[3][4]
Elections
2016
- Main article: Washington Natural Resources Commissioner election, 2016
Nielson filed to run as a Libertarian candidate in the 2016 election for Washington commissioner of public lands.[1] He competed with five Democrats and one Republican in the August 2 top-two primary election. Nielson was defeated in the primary election by former Naval Commander Steve McLaughlin (R) and attorney Hilary Franz (D).
The following candidates ran in the Washington primary for natural resources commissioner.
| Washington primary for natural resources commissioner, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Steve McLaughlin |
37.95% | 494,416 | |
| Democratic | Hilary Franz |
22.80% | 297,074 | |
| Democratic | Dave Upthegrove | 14.12% | 183,976 | |
| Democratic | Mary Verner | 12.25% | 159,564 | |
| Libertarian | Steven Nielson | 4.84% | 63,056 | |
| Democratic | Karen Porterfield | 4.74% | 61,710 | |
| Democratic | John Stillings | 3.31% | 43,129 | |
| Total Votes | 1,302,925 | |||
| Source: Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign finance
| Steven Nielson Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| To date | As of August 2, 2016 | $ | $3,045.04 | $(2,581.84) | $ | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $3,045.04 | $(2,581.84) | ||||||||
2014
Elections for the Washington House of Representatives took place in 2014. A blanket primary election took place on August 5, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 17, 2014. Incumbent J.T. Wilcox (R) and Steven Nielson (L) defeated Rick Payne (Marijuana Party) in the primary. Wilcox defeated Nielson in the general election.[2][5][6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | J.T. Wilcox Incumbent |
71.8% | 24,837 | |
| Libertarian | Steven Nielson | 28.2% | 9,734 | |
| Total Votes | 34,571 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |
J.T. Wilcox Incumbent |
71% | 12,496 | |
| Libertarian | Steven Nielson |
19.6% | 3,449 | |
| Marijuana Party | Rick Payne | 9.3% | 1,644 | |
| Total Votes | 17,589 | |||
Campaign themes
2017
Nielson submitted the following campaign statement to the Washington secretary of state:[7]
| “ | The issues facing this office cross party lines. Decades of poor forest management have threatened the livelihood of thousands of families, diminished access to quality education, and jeopardized our land, water, air, and wildlife. As an avid outdoorsman and father of three I understand the urgent need to restore the balance between the environment and the economy, ensuring lasting resources for future generations. I believe Washington needs a leader with vision and the courage to act responsibly.
My first priority will be a forest triage, mounting a cooperative effort to thin areas of dead and unhealthy forest. This preventive maintenance reduces fire hazards, provides job opportunities for struggling families, and will secure valuable resources for our state’s education system. I will work to remove restrictions and prohibitions, opening Washington State workers to the future of green economic opportunity and innovation in the world’s industrial hemp markets, renewable energy sectors, and urban agriculture and forestry. Private stakeholders from farmers to fishermen will play a vital role in enacting an effective resource plan. Working families in Washington deserve the freedom to provide and the opportunity to thrive. You can help by casting your vote for active resource management in Washington State.[8] |
” |
2014
Nielson's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[9]
Job Creation & Economic Growth
- Excerpt: "The key to continued economic growth, increased income, and job-creation is an open and competitive market operating under the rule of law."
Transportation
- Excerpt: "Decision-making needs to be less centralized. It makes no sense for Washingtonians to send enormous amounts of money to Olympia where a centralized bureaucracy determines which projects around the state get funded."
- Excerpt: "Decision-making needs to be more transparent. Olympia's opaque decision-making process is too prone to manipulation by concentrated interests. Therefore, solutions are rarely innovative and never expedient."
Healthcare
- Excerpt: "Let Washington take care of Washingtonians. We can succeed where federal programs have failed and achieve better health outcomes at much lower cost to taxpayers."
Gun Rights
- Excerpt: "I support gun rights and the Second Amendment."
Civil Liberties
- Excerpt: "I am committed to restoring and protecting civil liberties."
Campaign finance summary
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Nielson and his wife, Alicia K. Nielson, have three daughters. The family resides in Orting, Washington.[10]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Steven Nielson Washington Commissioner of public lands. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Washington State Legislature
- Washington state legislative districts
- Washington House of Representatives
- Washington House of Representatives elections, 2014
- Washington Commissioner of Public Lands
- Washington state executive offices
External links
- Washington State Legislature
- Official campaign website
- Campaign Facebook page
- Profile by Vote-USA
- Natural resources commissioner's official website
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Washington Secretary of State, "2016 candidates who have filed," accessed May 23, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Washington Secretary of State, "2014 Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Steven Nielson, "History," accessed June 16, 2014
- ↑ Steven Nielson, "Political credentials," accessed June 16, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "August 5, 2014, Official Primary Results," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Official general election results, 2014," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ 2016 Primary Voters' Guide, "Steven M. Nielson," accessed July 20, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Steven Nielson, "Issues," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ Steven Nielson, "Home," accessed June 16, 2014
