Carly Melin
Carly Melin is a former Democratic member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 6A from 2011 to 2017. She was elected to the chamber in the February 15, 2011, special election. The election was held to fill the seat vacated by Anthony Sertich (D), who resigned to serve as head of the Iron Range Resource Board.[1] In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Melin served as an Assistant Majority Leader.
Melin did not seek re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016.[2]
Biography
Melin earned her bachelor's degree in political science magna cum laude from Bemidji State University and her J.D. from the Hamline University School of Law. Her professional experience includes working with the Minnesota State Judiciary on the Iron Range.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Melin served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Capital Investment |
| • Mining and Outdoor Recreation Policy |
| • Taxes |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Melin served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Capital Investment |
| • Early Childhood and Youth Development Policy |
| • Judiciary Finance and Policy, Vice chair |
| • Rules and Legislative Administration |
| • Taxes |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Melin served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Capital Investment |
| • Jobs and Economic Development Finance |
| • Judiciary Policy and Finance |
Campaign themes
2012
Melin's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[3]
Jobs and the Economy
- Excerpt: "Investing in our infrastructure keeps us competitive nationally and globally, while putting Minnesotans in the construction trades back to work."
Senior Citizens
- Excerpt: "Our leading generation deserves the best in health care, good housing options, and access to services. It is their time to enjoy retirement, not to endure painful budget cuts to services they deserve."
Education
- Excerpt: "I will continue my advocacy for fair funding for our schools and targeted aid for new technology. Minnesotans deserve a world-class education no matter what corner of the state their school is located."
Mining and Natural Resources
- Excerpt: "I support mining in Northeastern Minnesota. Our taconite mines are essential to our local and state economy, and are currently employing thousands of workers across the Iron Range."
Budget and Taxes
- Excerpt: "Property taxes are one of the most regressive forms of taxation, and I will continue to fight to keep them low. Minnesotans deserve taxation that is fair and balanced."
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2016
Elections for the Minnesota House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 31, 2016. Incumbent Carly Melin (D) did not seek re-election.
Julie Sandstede defeated Robert Farnsworth in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 6A general election.[4][5]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 6A General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Julie Sandstede |
59.08% | 11,852 | |
| Republican | Robert Farnsworth | 40.92% | 8,209 | |
| Total Votes | 20,061 | |||
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||||
Julie Sandstede defeated Tom Whiteside, Mike Thompson, and Ben DeNucci in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 6A Democratic primary.[6][7]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 6A Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Julie Sandstede |
35.61% | 1,676 | |
| Democratic | Tom Whiteside | 31.19% | 1,468 | |
| Democratic | Mike Thompson | 5.50% | 259 | |
| Democratic | Ben DeNucci | 27.69% | 1,303 | |
| Total Votes | 4,706 | |||
Robert Farnsworth ran unopposed in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 6A Republican primary.[6][7]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 6A Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Robert Farnsworth (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Minnesota House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 12, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 3, 2014. Incumbent Carly Melin defeated John Finken in the Democratic primary. Roger Weber was unopposed in the Republican primary. Melin defeated Weber in the general election.[8][9][10]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Carly Melin Incumbent |
69.4% | 11,257 | |
| Republican | Roger Weber | 30.4% | 4,930 | |
| Write-in | Write-in | 0.2% | 37 | |
| Total Votes | 16,224 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Carly Melin Incumbent |
80% | 2,979 |
| John Finken | 20% | 743 |
| Total Votes | 3,722 | |
2012
Melin won re-election in the 2012 election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 6A. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 7 and defeated Roger Weber (R) in the general election on November 6.[11][12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Carly Melin Incumbent |
70.9% | 14,589 | |
| Republican | Roger Weber | 29.1% | 5,989 | |
| Total Votes | 20,578 | |||
2011 special election
Melin defeated Paul Jacobson (R) in the February 15 special election.[13]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2016.
- AFSCME Council 5 — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- MinnCAN — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.
- Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Minnesota Family Council — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Voices for Racial Justice — Legislators are scored by the organization on "their support for legislation forwarding an equitable and inclusive Minnesota."
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2015.
- Clean Water Action — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
- Minnesota Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on business-related bills.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2014.
- AFSCME Council 5 — Legislators are scored on if they supported or opposed AFSCME's position.
- Americans for Prosperity - Minnesota — Legislators are scored based on votes on economic issues.
- Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- Liberty Minnesota — Legislators are scored on bills of interest to an organization advocating "limited government, free enterprise, and individual liberty."
- MinnCAN — Legislators are scored based on bills related to education.
- Minnesota Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on business-related bills.
- Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Minnesota Nurses Association — Legislators are scored based on issues affecting nurses, healthcare, and working families.
- Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to animals.
- NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Voices for Racial Justice — Legislators are scored by the organization on "their support for legislation forwarding an equitable and inclusive Minnesota."
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2013.
- AFSCME Council 5 — Legislators are scored on if they supported or opposed AFSCME's position.
- Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on their support for the organization's principles, which it defines as "provid[ing] a basis for a constitutionally limited government established to sustain life, liberty, justice, property rights and free enterprise."
- MinnCAN — Legislators are scored based on bills related to education.
- Minnesota AFL-CIO — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Minnesota Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on business-related bills.
- Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- Minnesota Family Council — Legislators are scored by the organization on their votes on bills that affect Minnesota families.
- Minnesota Majority — Legislators are scored by the organization on "a wide range of issues including taxes, government spending, elections, childcare unionization, property rights and energy policy."
- Minnesota Nurses Association — Legislators are scored based on issues affecting nurses, patients, and working families.
- Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to animals.
- NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota — Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Voices for Racial Justice — Legislators are scored by the organization on "their support for legislation forwarding an equitable and inclusive Minnesota."
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2012.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Minnesota State Legislature in 2011.
- Taxpayers League of Minnesota — Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
Noteworthy events
Residency challenge
Ahead of the February 15, 2011, special election, the Minnesota GOP challenged Melin's residency, claiming she was ineligible to run.[14]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Carly + Melin + Minnesota + Legislature
External links
- Office website
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Carly Melin on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ Northlands News Center, "Sertich New IRRRB Commissioner," January 11, 2011
- ↑ Mesabi Daily News, "State Rep. Carly Melin of Hibbing won't seek re-election in November," accessed January 14, 2016
- ↑ carlymelin.com, "Issues," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "General election results, 2016," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Primary: Tuesday, August 9, 2016," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "State Canvassing Board Report," August 19, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2014 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed July 25, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2014 Election Results," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2012 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed June 18, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Canvassing Report - State Primary - Tuesday, August 14, 2012," accessed April 23, 2014
- ↑ Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Range DFLer wins special election to fill state House seat," February 15, 2011
- ↑ Duluth News Tribune, "Republicans question Melin’s residency in District 5B," February 3, 2011 (dead link)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David Dill (DFL) |
Minnesota State House District 6A 2013- 2017 |
Succeeded by Julie Sandstede (DFL) |
| Preceded by Anthony Sertich (DFL) |
Minnesota State House District 5B 2011-2013 |
Succeeded by Tom Anzelc (DFL) |
