Relationship building key for Nordquist
Above: Sen. Nordquist and his wife, Shannon, enjoy a neighborhood stroll with their dog, Wilson.
Among the current events titles and political biographies lining his bookshelf, Sen. Jeremy Nordquist calls “Master of the Senate” one of his favorites. An account of former President Lyndon Johnson’s time in the U.S. Senate, the book is a blueprint for how LBJ interacted with his colleagues to pass legislation.
“[It] is really an amazing history on his time as majority leader — how he knew the system and built relationships to get his legislative agenda accomplished,” Nordquist said.
Nordquist said he places a similar value on relationship building in the Nebraska Legislature.
“This body is built on relationships,” he said. “You attend the lunches with your colleagues, or you share meals with them. You visit and nurture those relationships, so when the time comes … they are willing to listen to you and trust you.”
At 27, Nordquist is the youngest of the new senators this session. His interest in government started early, when he pitched in during his father’s bid for reelection to a city council seat in the small town of Beresford, S.D. His childhood memories include going door-to-door with his father, speaking with each of the town’s 2,000 residents during the campaign. The successful campaign was part of his father’s 20 years of service on the city council.
From small-town campaign volunteer, Nordquist graduated to legislative staffer. He served as legislative aide to former state Sen. John Synowiecki and, most recently, as research analyst for the Legislature’s Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee.
Nordquist said it is daunting to transition from staffer to senator, considering the number of issues in which legislators are expected to be versed.
“As a staff member, you focus on a few areas and the bill your senator is carrying; whereas as a senator, you have to do your best to be knowledgeable about every issue that is coming to the floor,” Nordquist said.
Nordquist spends much of his time outside the Capitol painting, fixing and restoring his Omaha home, which he described as “about a century old.” He credits his handiness to his father and five older brothers, several of whom have experience in auto repair. From them he learned to repair cars, which he did to earn money while in high school. Nordquist’s automotive specialty was modifying 1970s General Motors automatic transmissions for one-gear direct drive. The lighter transmissions were great for dirt track racing, he said.
His home improvement projects give him a break from lawmaking and the bustle of the Legislature, though his focus on relationship building still comes in handy outside the Capitol.
“At home, I do my best to leave the issues of the Legislature at the Legislature and enjoy time with my wife, discussing things that we enjoy together,” he said.
