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Rick Olson (Iowa)

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Rick Olson
Image of Rick Olson

Democratic Party

Iowa House of Representatives District 39
Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor
Prior offices
Iowa House of Representatives District 31
Successor: Mary Madison

Compensation

Base salary

$25,000/year

Per diem

$178/day for legislators who live outside of Polk County. $133.50/day for legislators who live within Polk County.

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Law

Drake University

Personal
Birthplace
Des Moines, Iowa
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Campaign website

Personal Facebook

Rick Olson (Democratic Party) is a member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing District 39. He assumed office on January 1, 2023. His current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Olson (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Iowa House of Representatives to represent District 39. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Rick Olson was born in Des Moines, Iowa. Olson earned undergraduate and law degrees from Drake University. His career experience includes working as an attorney. Olson served on the board of the Iowa Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and on the Polk County Magistrate Appointing Commission.[1]

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Olson was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Olson was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Olson was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Iowa committee assignments, 2017
• Judiciary
• Public Safety
• Transportation

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Olson served on the following committees:

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Olson served on the following committees:

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Olson served on the following committees:

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Olson served on the following committees:

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2024

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 39

Incumbent Rick Olson defeated Troy Clark in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 39 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Olson
Rick Olson (D)
 
54.6
 
7,511
Image of Troy Clark
Troy Clark (R) Candidate Connection
 
45.2
 
6,217
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
35

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 13,763
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 39

Incumbent Rick Olson advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 39 on June 4, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Olson
Rick Olson
 
99.6
 
673
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
3

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 676
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Olson in this election.

2022

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 39

Incumbent Rick Olson defeated Mark Weatherly in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 39 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Olson
Rick Olson (D)
 
53.2
 
5,492
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Mark Weatherly (R)
 
46.6
 
4,814
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
23

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 10,329
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete 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 Iowa House of Representatives District 39

Incumbent Rick Olson advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 39 on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Olson
Rick Olson
 
99.0
 
1,524
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.0
 
15

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,539
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 39

Mark Weatherly advanced from the Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 39 on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Mark Weatherly
 
99.8
 
1,226
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
2

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,228
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 31

Incumbent Rick Olson won election in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 31 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Olson
Rick Olson (D)
 
95.9
 
10,070
 Other/Write-in votes
 
4.1
 
435

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 10,505
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete 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 Iowa House of Representatives District 31

Incumbent Rick Olson advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 31 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Olson
Rick Olson
 
99.4
 
2,671
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.6
 
17

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,688
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 31

Incumbent Rick Olson won election in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 31 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Olson
Rick Olson (D)
 
96.0
 
8,576
 Other/Write-in votes
 
4.0
 
360

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 8,936
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete 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 Iowa House of Representatives District 31

Incumbent Rick Olson defeated Tiffany Allison and Heather Ryan in the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 31 on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rick Olson
Rick Olson
 
63.2
 
1,385
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Tiffany Allison
 
22.3
 
489
Image of Heather Ryan
Heather Ryan
 
14.5
 
317

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 2,191
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 18, 2016.

Incumbent Rick Olson defeated Matt Christoffersen and Joe Gleason in the Iowa House of Representatives District 31 general election.[2][3]

Iowa House of Representatives, District 31 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Rick Olson Incumbent 55.16% 7,160
     Republican Matt Christoffersen 38.73% 5,027
     Libertarian Joe Gleason 6.12% 794
Total Votes 12,981
Source: Iowa Secretary of State


Incumbent Rick Olson ran unopposed in the Iowa House of Representatives District 31 Democratic primary.[4][5]

Iowa House of Representatives, District 31 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Rick Olson Incumbent (unopposed)


Matt Christoffersen ran unopposed in the Iowa House of Representatives District 31 Republican primary.[4][5]

Iowa House of Representatives, District 31 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Matt Christoffersen  (unopposed)

2014

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 14, 2014. Incumbent Rick L. Olson was unopposed in the Democratic primary and faced Joshua James Herbert (L) in the general election.[6][7][8] Incumbent Olson defeated Herbert in the general election.[9]

Iowa House of Representatives District 31, General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngRick L. Olson Incumbent 79.6% 5,950
     Libertarian Joshua James Herbert 20.4% 1,524
Total Votes 7,474

2012

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2012

Olson ran in the 2012 election for Iowa House of Representatives District 31. Olson ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 5, 2012, and ran unopposed in the general election on November 6, 2012.[10][11]

2010

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2010

Olson won re-election to the 68th District Seat in 2010 with no opposition. He was also unopposed in the Democratic primary. The general election took place on November 2, 2010.[12]

Iowa House of Representatives, District 68 General Election (2010)
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRick Olson (D) 5,747
Dave Dicks (R) 3,309

2008

On November 4, 2008, Olson was re-elected to the 68th District Seat in the Iowa House of Representatives, defeating Larry Voorhees (R).[13] Olson raised $25,165 for his campaign, while Voorhees raised $3,896.[14]

Iowa House of Representatives, District 68
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRick Olson (D) 8,671
Larry Voorhees (R) 4,267

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rick Olson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Rick Olson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Rick Olson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Rick Olson campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Iowa House of Representatives District 39Won general$31,021 $34,024
2022Iowa House of Representatives District 39Won general$92,822 $70,393
2020Iowa House of Representatives District 31Won general$35,725 N/A**
2018Iowa House of Representatives District 31Won general$39,216 N/A**
2016Iowa House of Representatives, District 31Won $27,317 N/A**
2014Iowa House of Representatives, District 31Won $18,996 N/A**
2012Iowa State House, District 31Won $23,958 N/A**
2010Iowa State House, District 68Won $24,725 N/A**
2008Iowa State House, District 68Won $25,165 N/A**
2006Iowa State House, District 68Won $12,683 N/A**
2004Iowa State House, District 68Won $20,761 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Iowa

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Iowa scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.


2024


2023


2022


2021


2020


2019


2018


2017


2016


2015


2014


2013


2012

See also

2024 Elections

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External links

Candidate

Iowa House of Representatives District 39
  • Website
    		•

    Officeholder

    Iowa House of Representatives District 39
  • Website
  • Facebook
    		•

    Personal

  • Facebook
    		•

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The Iowa Legislature, "Rick L. Olson - All Years," accessed May 13, 2023
    2. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "General Candidate List, 2016," accessed August 24, 2016
    3. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Canvass Summary," accessed December 16, 2016
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Iowa Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," March 21, 2016
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Canvass Summary," accessed August 22, 2016
    6. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
    7. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 30, 2014
    8. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed July 7, 2014
    9. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 1, 2014
    10. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," accessed October 1, 2014
    11. ↑ Iowa Department of Elections, "2012 Primary Candidates," accessed May 15, 2012
    12. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official 2010 General election results," accessed October 1, 2014
    13. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official 2008 General election results," accessed April 7, 2014
    14. ↑ Follow The Money, "Funds raised by 2008 Iowa House candidates," accessed April 7, 2014
    15. ↑ ACLU Iowa, "Legislative Report & Civil Liberties Scorecard," accessed July 11, 2017
    16. ↑ ACLU of Iowa, "Legislative Report & Civil Liberties Scorecard," accessed July 11, 2017
    17. ↑ StateScape, "Session schedules," accessed August 2, 2014
    18. ↑ ACLU of Iowa, "Civil Liberties report card," accessed July 11, 2017

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Eddie Andrews (R)     		Iowa House of Representatives District 39
    2023-Present    		 Succeeded by
    -
    Preceded by
    -     		Iowa House of Representatives District 31
    2005-2023    		 Succeeded by
    Mary Madison (D)


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