About Dan

Meet Dan Powers

Burnsville resident Dan Powers has never quit when faced with a challenging problem.  Using his small business experience, Dan would bring refreshing representation to Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District in Washington.

Dan has lived in the 2nd Congressional District for twenty-seven years.  He currently lives in Burnsville with Chelle, his wife of eighteen years.  They have two grown sons and a daughter who attends public school in Independent School District 191; a new granddaughter; and two German Shepherds.

Dan grew up in a union family with ties to the Iron Range.  His parents worked hard for a living, instilling in their children a strong work ethic and the importance of doing a job right the first time.  Raised in Colorado, Dan and his family returned to Minnesota when Dan decided to attend the University of Minnesota for Aerospace Engineering.  He received his commercial pilot’s license and has lived in Minnesota since. 

A Small Business Owner

In his twenties, Dan began working in construction and for the next twenty years, he worked on homes throughout the community as an exterior remodeler, contractor, and later small business owner.  He began as a contractor for Sela Roofing, a job that taught him how to listen to his customers.  He learned that when addressing a problem as simple as a leaking roof, real progress is best achieved by really listening to the concerns of his clients.  

In 1997, Dan left Sela to start a small remodeling business with his brother.  He was a quick learner, persevering through challenges like regulation compliance, and gained invaluable small business skills.  

After four successful years, Dan returned to Sela to work as a Production Supervisor.  With no exterior remodeling union to join, Dan was disappointed.  As union members, his parents were protected if something went wrong while they worked loyally for their companies.  Dan didn’t enjoy the same protections if something went wrong.  And something did go wrong.

A Fall into Politics

On a cold February day in 2004, Dan fell from a ladder at a job site and broke his back.  Initially unsure of whether he would walk again, Dan began a rehabilitation program.  He struggled to navigate our country’s broken health insurance system.  After a year of tough work, he had recovered fully.  

During this struggle, Dan reflected on his life and observed a parallel lesson in overcoming our nation’s problems.  The economy, health care, and transportation infrastructure are broken systems that require long-term hard work and innovative solutions.  Giving up is not an option.

Dan observed that most people in his line of work saw politics as remote from their lives.  To a degree, that included Dan, too.  But after his back injury, he reflected on meeting his Senators—Paul Wellstone and Dave Durenberger—and realized they were ordinary folks like him.  Now was the time to do something.

Not Your Typical Candidate

Dan began his journey by running for Burnsville City Council.  After finishing in the middle of a ten-person race, he went on to serve as a member of the Burnsville Board of Appeals and volunteered for several campaigns.  It didn’t take long for Dan to realize that our biggest problems aren’t local but national.  He decided to take a risk and run for Congress.  He briefly ran for Congress in 2008 but opted to support Steve Sarvi for the DFL endorsement.

Now, Dan stands ready with his experience as a working community member.  He is running for Congress so that our community has a voice.  The District’s Representative in Washington has abandoned the Minnesota principles of hard work and shared responsibility for our country and our future.  We can do better.  We must do better.  This progress starts with electing a main street Democrat like Dan to Congress.