Member of the Week – Bill Nelson

Bill Nelson

Senior Senator from Florida (D)

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This election, it seems like every state could be classified as a “battleground state” as far as Senate elections are concerned. Enter Member of the Week, Bill Nelson, the senior senator from Florida. According to recent polls, Nelson currently holds an impressive 53 to 39 percent lead over challenger Connie Mack. We’re not sure what his secret to success it. Maybe it’s holding a strong edge on all the swing demographics. Maybe it’s winning more Republicans than Mack is winning Democrats. Maybe it’s being the second sitting member of Congress to go to space.

Clarence William “Bill” Nelson was born on September 29, 1942 in Miami, Florida. He attended the University of Florida before transferring to Yale University, and eventually earned his law degree from the University of Virginia. He joined the Army Reserve in 1965, and served on active duty from 1968 to 1970. He launched his political career in 1972 when he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. He won reelection in 1974 and 1976 before launching his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, to which he was elected in 1978.

Nelson served in the House from 1978 to 1991. In 1990, he unsuccessfully ran against Lawton Chiles for the Democratic nomination in Florida’s gubernatorial race.

In 1986, Nelson underwent NASA training with former Senator Jake Garn (R-Utah). In January of that year, Nelson lived out the dream of every child in America and spent six days in space. He orbited the earth aboard the space shuttle Columbia as a payroll specialist, and credits this experience with giving him a “greater appreciation for the importance of our nation’s space exploration program.” He was critical of President Obama’s 2010 cancellation of NASA’s Constellation program.

Senator Bill Nelson fights for NASA programs.

As a senator, Nelson currently serves on five committees: Aging, Finance, Intelligence, U.S. Senate Budget, and Commerce. On the Commerce Committee, he serves as the chairman of the Science and Space subcommittee. He tends to vote liberal on economic matters, moderate on social issues, and left-to-centrist on foreign policy issues.

Ever-devoted to Florida’s “Space Coast,” Nelson has said on the “Hey Bill” page of his campaign website that if he weren’t a senator, he would like to be a full-time astronaut.

-Ms. Gardzalla is a North Carolina law student who left her heart on U-Street. Or dropped it on the metro.

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