Rob Kupec

Rob Kupec was born in Connecticut and lives in Moorhead, Minnesota. Kupec earned a bachelor's degree in atmospheric science from the State University of New York at Albany in 1992. His career experience includes working at a coffee company and as a meteorologist.[1]

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Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased May 23, 2022

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am originally from a small mill town in eastern Connecticut. Both of my parents began their careers as teachers. I decided in second grade that I wanted to be a meteorologist. After high school I went to the State University of New York at Albany and received my BS in Atmospheric Science. I also met my wife to be at Albany, we have been married for 29 years and have one son, Quinn. After college, I actually worked as a route salesman for a coffee company while my wife was working on her Phd. Eventually, I ran my own office coffee company. We sold the business in 2000 when we moved to Moorhead for my wife's job, she is on the faculty at Minnesota State University Moorhead. After we moved to Minnesota, I began to pursue my career as a meteorologist, first as fill-in and weekends at WDAY-TV in Fargo then as Chief Meteorologist at KVRR. Now I would like to give back to the area that has given so much to our family, by running for the Minnesota State Senate.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Ensure that all children have access to quality education from pre-K to college. Reduce reliance on property taxes and end systemic inequities in K-12 funding. Make sure that all children have access to healthy meals at school so that they can learn and thrive. Pay teachers, including those in early childhood education, wages that reflect the importance of their work. Invest in colleges and universities so that these are affordable and meet the demands of our future workforce.Increase access to quality health care in rural communities to help seniors stay in their homes and ensure our small towns thrive. Our nursing homes and healthcare providers face staff shortages, and our aging population will lead to more strain. Support frontline healthcare workers and means for people to work in these fields in our small towns.Protect family farms, which are vital to our economy and food systems. Help specialty crop farmers bring more locally grown food to our communities. Reduce barriers to their access to crop insurance. Support right to repair legislation to keep maintenance costs on equipment down.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a meteorologist, climate change is an issue I have worked on and studied for a long time. Prolonged droughts followed by brief heavy rains that climate model predict, could spell disaster for farmers. Algae and invasive species from a warming climate threaten our water quality and native fish species. I would promote wind and solar energy and reduced reliance on fossil fuels. I would provide incentives to homeowners to increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy. We need to encourage investment in infrastructure to meet demands of more electric vehicles.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at Wendy's in high school and into my freshmen year of college, so for nearly 3 years. I started at $3.32/hr. It was hard work but we had a lot of fun too. The managers of the restaurant were outstanding, some of the best people I have ever worked for. I am still friends with some of them today.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I would like to be part of the higher education committee, with 3 colleges in my district. I would also like to be on the agriculture committee.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

The current state senator for our is district is Kent Eken. He is retiring after 20 years of service in the house and senate. I think he has been an excellent senator, willing to work with both sides and really be a good representative for the our district.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes, one of the things being a meteorologist has taught me is about consensus. When you take a group of forecasts from different meteorologists and average them out, it is often time the best forecast. I think public policy works the same way.