Bill Nelson is a true son of Florida: his family came to Florida in 1829; and, his grandparents homesteaded in the early 20th century on land that today is the Kennedy Space Center.

Most of us have a clear memory of the day America was shocked by the catastrophic destruction of the space shuttle Challenger. Even so, the dangers of space exploration were known to our senator, as he spent six days orbiting the Earth aboard the space shuttle Columbia - just ten days before Challenger's ill-fated launch in 1986.

Bill still vividly recalls looking back at our planet and not seeing any political, religious or racial divides.

“From that perspective, you can see how we're all in this together,” he says. “If we could just remember that, we'd sure get a lot more done.”

It's that kind of perspective that has earned Bill a reputation as a thoughtful, moderate voice in an increasingly partisan political world.

Bill was first elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2000 after serving six years on Florida's Cabinet. Before that, he served in Congress for 12 years and in the Florida Legislature for six years. In the Senate, he has exposed the lies of BP. He has also stood up to the insurance companies and Wall Street banks. In his third term, he is continuing to fight for lower taxes, education, Medicare and Social Security.

He is someone who thinks public service is a noble calling, which is why he has devoted his life to serving his community, his state and his country.