Kim Olson

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Kim Olson

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Weatherford Independent School District school board Place 3

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

July 14, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Ohio State University, Columbus, 1979

Graduate

Webster University, 2000

Other

Seminar XXI Center for International Studies, MIT, 2002

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Years of service

1979 - 2005

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Kim Olson was a member of the Weatherford Independent School District school board in Texas, representing Place 3. She left office in 2011.

Olson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 24th Congressional District. She lost in the Democratic primary runoff on July 14, 2020.

Olson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Olson served in the U.S. Air Force from 1979 to 2005 and retired at the rank of colonel. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in education. She received a master's degree in business administration from Webster University in St. Louis in 1987, a master's degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in 1994, and a master's degree in national security strategy from National Defense University in 2000. Olson worked as director of human resources for Dallas Independent School District and as CEO of the organization Grace After Fire.

Elections

2020

See also: Texas' 24th Congressional District election, 2020

Texas' 24th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

Texas' 24th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 24

Beth Van Duyne defeated Candace Valenzuela, Darren Hamilton, Steve Kuzmich, and Mark Bauer in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 24 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Beth Van Duyne (R)	48.8	167,910
		Candace Valenzuela (D)	47.5	163,326
		Darren Hamilton (L)	1.6	5,647
		Steve Kuzmich (Independent)	1.2	4,229
		Mark Bauer (Independent)	0.8	2,909

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 344,021
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 24

Candace Valenzuela defeated Kim Olson in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 24 on July 14, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Candace Valenzuela	60.4	20,003
		Kim Olson	39.6	13,131

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,134
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 24

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 24 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim Olson	41.0	24,442
✔		Candace Valenzuela	30.4	18,078
		Jan McDowell	10.0	5,965
		Crystal Fletcher (Unofficially withdrew)	5.7	3,386
		Richard Fleming	5.1	3,010
		Sam Vega	4.5	2,677
		John Biggan	3.4	1,996

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 59,554
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• William Carl Fisher (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 24

Beth Van Duyne defeated David Fegan, Desi Maes, Sunny Chaparala, and Jeron Liverman in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 24 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Beth Van Duyne	64.3	32,067
		David Fegan	20.7	10,295
		Desi Maes	5.8	2,867
		Sunny Chaparala	5.6	2,808
		Jeron Liverman	3.6	1,809

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 49,846
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Deanna Maria Metzger (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 24

Darren Hamilton advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 24 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Darren Hamilton (L)

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	There were no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profile

Kim Olson

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Weatherford Independent School District Board of Trustees (2007-2011)

Submitted Biography:  "I am a retired Colonel in the US Air Force with 28 years of military service, proven leadership experience, and a legacy of service. I was one of the first women to fly and instruct in fighter-type aircraft, command an operational flying squadron, lead in multiple combat zones, and rise to the rank of Colonel. Following retirement from the United States Air Force, I volunteered with the Texas State Guard as Director of Information Technology at state guard Headquarters from 2010 to 2014. Then, I served as President and CEO of Grace After Fire from 2010 to 2015. The nonprofit organization based in Fort Worth helped over 5,500 female veterans and their families find employment, access mental and physical health providers, and conduct peer to peer network training focused of emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being. I was elected to two terms on a local school board and have achieved an MBA from Webster University and 2 masters degrees from our war colleges. "

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Key Messages

The messages below are the candidate’s own.

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When I see a problem, I fix it. That's why I battled the Air Force to open flight school to women, modernized the military's response to sexual assault, and advocated for women veterans struggling to re-enter civilian life. That's also why I want to continue my service to this nation as a member of Congress.

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Having served in uniform, commanded troops in combat zones, been elected on a local school board, managed a multi-billion dollar budget at the Pentagon, and served as CEO for non-profit, I believe I have the depth of experience to be an effective leader for my constituents in Congress.

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I am a proven leader with a legacy of service. Throughout my career, I blazed trails and took the doors off the hinges for women and others to rise up behind me in spaces where they were traditionally shut out.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Texas District 24 in 2020

2018

See also: Texas Agriculture Commissioner election, 2018

General election

General election for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture

Incumbent Sid Miller defeated Kim Olson and Richard Carpenter in the general election for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sid Miller (R)	51.3	4,221,527
		Kim Olson (D)	46.4	3,822,137
		Richard Carpenter (L)	2.3	191,639

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,235,303 (100.00% precincts reporting)
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture

Kim Olson advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Kim Olson

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture

Incumbent Sid Miller defeated Jim Hogan and Trey Blocker in the Republican primary for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sid Miller	55.7	755,498
		Jim Hogan	22.9	310,431
		Trey Blocker	21.5	291,583

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,357,512
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kim Olson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Olson's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a retired Colonel in the US Air Force with 28 years of military service, proven leadership experience, and a legacy of service. I was one of the first women to fly and instruct in fighter-type aircraft, command an operational flying squadron, lead in multiple combat zones, and rise to the rank of Colonel. Following retirement from the United States Air Force, I volunteered with the Texas State Guard as Director of Information Technology at state guard Headquarters from 2010 to 2014. Then, I served as President and CEO of Grace After Fire from 2010 to 2015. The nonprofit organization based in Fort Worth helped over 5,500 female veterans and their families find employment, access mental and physical health providers, and conduct peer to peer network training focused of emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being. I was elected to two terms on a local school board and have achieved an MBA from Webster University and 2 masters degrees from our war colleges.

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?

• When I see a problem, I fix it. That's why I battled the Air Force to open flight school to women, modernized the military's response to sexual assault, and advocated for women veterans struggling to re-enter civilian life. That's also why I want to continue my service to this nation as a member of Congress.
• Having served in uniform, commanded troops in combat zones, been elected on a local school board, managed a multi-billion dollar budget at the Pentagon, and served as CEO for non-profit, I believe I have the depth of experience to be an effective leader for my constituents in Congress.
• I am a proven leader with a legacy of service. Throughout my career, I blazed trails and took the doors off the hinges for women and others to rise up behind me in spaces where they were traditionally shut out.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

- My first priority would be to make healthcare available and affordable to everyone. In the richest country in the world, we can, and must, do better. There are common-sense steps we can take immediately to lower costs for working families like lowering the Medicare eligibility age and allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies to lower costs of prescription drugs. - My next priority would be to take immediate action on climate change. I'm a farmer. I know first hand how climate change is affecting nearly all aspects of our lives. It is the most immediate threat facing our nation right now. Among other efforts, we must promote job-creating renewable energy, uphold emissions standards, and end corporate welfare for polluters. - Lastly, we MUST take steps to reduce gun violence in this country. As a veteran who served in combat zones and a gun owner, I support the 2nd Amendment. Simultaneously, as someone who has a grandson who will one day attend public schools, I find it unacceptable that weapons that could be used in a combat zone could find their way into his classroom. Weapons of war don't belong on our streets.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Olson’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Restore honest leadership to Congress Our elected officials seem to have forgotten they took an oath to represent their constituents to the best of their ability. We need real change in Washington, and I’m running to lead that change. I’ve spent my entire career serving my country and serving others -- and now, I want to serve you. Make quality healthcare affordable I believe that in the richest, most prosperous nation in the world, everyone (and I mean everyone) should have access to quality healthcare. I'm hopeful that with new leadership in the White House we will be able to expand on the progress made by the ACA and make quality, affordable health insurance available to everyone. Take urgent action on climate change I'm a farmer. I know first hand how climate change is affecting nearly all aspects of our lives. Climate change is the most immediate threat facing our nation right now. Among other efforts, we must promote job-creating renewable energy, uphold emissions standards, and end corporate welfare for polluters. Invest in world-class education As a former school board member, I am passionate about our public schools and the value of quality education. The federal government must act on ending the student loan debt crisis and take steps to make higher education more affordable. Strengthen jobs in Texas No one should be forced to work multiple full-time jobs in order to pay their bills or feed their families. We must support working families and ensure the one job for every Texan is enough to live with dignity. Reduce the influence of money in our campaigns It's past time to end Citizen's United and stop politicians from giving unfair advantages to billionaires and big corporations. Congress should be run for the people and by the people. I'm proud that my campaign does not accept any coporate PAC contributions. Reform law enforcement and criminal justice Each passing day, it becomes blatantly obvious that we need leaders—at every level—who are willing to advocate for and implement law enforcement and criminal justice reform. I pledge to co-sponsor and vote in favor of legislation that will establish the much-needed changes to our system. Including, but not limited to, federally banning chokeholds, ending for-profit policing and prisons, and requiring police departments that receive federal funding to publish records of misconduct. Honor veterans and military families When I was CEO of Grace After Fire, a non-profit dedicated to helping women veterans, we made significant strides towards ending veteran homelessness and decreasing suicide rates. But, there’s more work to be done. Moreover, we must put a stop to endless wars. Great nations should not perpetuate endless violence, they should broker peace. Comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform We are a nation of immigrants and their contributions to our society are not just valuable but imperative to our economy and cultural fabric. I oppose the construction of Trump's border wall and this administration's inhumane response to the humanitarian crisis on our border. Congress must act fast to grant citizenship to Dreamers. We can’t kick the can down the road any longer. We need comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform now. Implement common sense gun safety reforms As a 25 year Air Force veteran, I understand that weapons of war don't belong on our streets. But we won't pass gun safety reform until we elect leaders in Washington with the courage to stand up for us. Weapons of war do not belong on the streets of America. Period. Full stop. Moreover, It's time to close the background check loophole and ban high capacity magazines. Protecting women's healthcare Women should be the deciders of their own destiny--not the government or politicians. We must ensure every woman has access to safe and affordable reproductive health services that are unencumbered by politically motivated and onerous restrictions.	”
—Kim Olson’s campaign website (2020)

2018

Olson provided the following description of her political philosophy to Ballotpedia:

“	Agriculture touches all our lives. As a major industry in Texas, our jobs and our economy rely on agriculture. Farmers and ranchers take care of the natural resources that we all need, now and in years to come. Our children depend on nutritious school meals so they can be prepared to learn. My platform represents months of travel throughout the state listening to Texans from every walk of life about the issues they care about.	”
—Kim Olson, 2018

She added:

“	Kim Olson, farmer, veteran, pilot and champion of education, is dedicated to influencing the future of sustainable food production, improving markets for Texas produce, and encouraging rural and urban development that improves access to healthy food. Kim is the 2018 Democratic nominee for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture. As a U.S. Air Force Colonel and pilot, farmer, business person, administrator, and an honored public servant, Kim Olson is uniquely qualified to provide knowledgeable, reliable, and respectable leadership in state government and will focus on the food and agriculture issues that matter to Texans.	”
—Kim Olson, 2018

See also

2020 Elections

Who is on my ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislature State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

Coronavirus Weekly Updates Documenting America's Path to Recovery The Daily Brew The Tap Daily Presidential News Briefing The Heart of the Primaries The Ballot Bulletin Bold Justice Union Station Checks and Balances

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook page
• Agriculture Commissioner of Texas

Footnotes

[show]

Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Cornyn (R)

Ted Cruz (R)

Representatives

District 1

Louis Gohmert (R)

District 2

Daniel Crenshaw (R)

District 3

Van Taylor (R)

District 4

Pat Fallon (R)

District 5

Lance Gooden (R)

District 6

Jake Ellzey (R)

District 7

Lizzie Fletcher (D)

District 8

Kevin Brady (R)

District 9

Al Green (D)

District 10

Michael McCaul (R)

District 11

August Pfluger (R)

District 12

Kay Granger (R)

District 13

Ronny Jackson (R)

District 14

Randy Weber (R)

District 15

Vicente Gonzalez (D)

District 16

Veronica Escobar (D)

District 17

Pete Sessions (R)

District 18

Sheila Lee (D)

District 19

Jodey Arrington (R)

District 20

Joaquin Castro (D)

District 21

Chip Roy (R)

District 22

Troy Nehls (R)

District 23

Tony Gonzales (R)

District 24

Beth Van Duyne (R)

District 25

Roger Williams (R)

District 26

Michael Burgess (R)

District 27

Michael Cloud (R)

District 28

Henry Cuellar (D)

District 29

Sylvia Garcia (D)

District 30

Eddie Johnson (D)

District 31

John Carter (R)

District 32

Colin Allred (D)

District 33

Marc Veasey (D)

District 34

Filemon Vela (D)

District 35

Lloyd Doggett (D)

District 36

Brian Babin (R)

District 37

Vacant

District 38

Vacant

Republican Party (25)

Democratic Party (13)

Vacancies (2)