Carlson Nabs Education Minnesota Endorsement

With the District 51 Democratic endorsement convention just around the corner, former Sen. Jim Carlson has picked up an endorsement from Education Minnesota, a 70,000-member education advocacy group.

“The citizens of Minnesota have set high expectations,” Carlson wrote in a press release. “To achieve the goal of stability, and the related goal of economic prosperity, one of the legislature's primary responsibilities is to fund and secure a top-quality education system. I fully support this.”

Carlson is competing for the Democratic endorsement with Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire. Both are seeking election to the seat currently held by Sen. Ted Daley (R). The district's Democratic endorsement convention is scheduled for Saturday.

During his stint as a senator, Carlson served on the Senate K-12 Education Policy Committee, according to the press release. Prior to elected service, he also was a  board member for the Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented (MCGT) and was a founding member of the School District 196 chapter of the MCGT.

“My wife, Gayle, is a high school German teacher, licensed for 44 years and the 2004 Minnesota German Teacher of the Year. Do you see now why I can’t escape?” Carlson joked in the press release. “But support for education means also championing and supporting our teachers.”

To read the press release, click on the PDF document attached to this article.