Tyler Olson
Tyler Olson is a former Democratic member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing District 65 from 2007 to 2015.
Olson ran briefly in the 2014 race for Governor of Iowa. He declared his candidacy for the office - held by Republican incumbent Terry Branstad - in July 2013 and was considered a strong contender for the Democratic nomination before withdrawing from the race in December of that year, six months ahead of the primary election.[1] He decided to drop out following the announcement of his separation from wife Sarah Olson, who had been an instrumental part of his family-oriented campaign.[2][3]
Biography
Olson's professional experience includes working as an Attorney with Bradley and Riley, PC, Assistant Finance Director with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Finance Director of Rob Tully for Congress.
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Olson served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2012 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Commerce |
| • Ethics |
| • Judiciary |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Olson served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Commerce |
| • Judiciary |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Olson served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Commerce |
| • Ethics, Vice chair |
| • Human Resources |
| • Judiciary |
| • Rebuild Iowa and Disaster Recovery |
| • Ways and Means, Vice chair |
Elections
2014
- See also: Iowa gubernatorial election, 2014
Olson was running for Governor of Iowa in the 2014 election, but he dropped out of the race on Dec. 17, 2013, citing personal reasons related to the recent dissolution of his marriage.[1][4] Had he remained a candidate, Olson would have faced Jack Hatch in the Democratic primary election on June 3, 2014, for the nomination to take on popular incumbent Terry Branstad (R) in the November 4, 2014 general election.[5]
Endorsements
Olson's 2014 gubernatorial campaign was endorsed by:
- Iowa Council 61 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)[6]
- Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union Local 110 - Cedar Rapids[7]
- State Rep. Dan Kelley[8]
Impact of divorce on campaign
Olson announced on December 2, 2013, he was downgrading his campaign efforts until early 2014 in order to focus on personal issues stemming from his separation from wife Sarah Olson.[9] The announcement came roughly five months after Olson launched his bid for the 2104 Democratic nomination for governor, during which time he had exceeded expectations by attracting multiple prominent labor endorsements and endearing himself to many potential voters by embedding charming stories about his family life into his speeches.[10] Since a number of these were romantic anecdotes about his relationship with his soon-to-be ex-wife, the divorce was deemed to be politically significant enough to compel Olson to retreat and revamp his campaign platform- at the risk of never regaining the momentum he had enjoyed prior to the announcement.[10] Despite resulting reports calling "scaling back" a prelude to the campaign inevitably shutting down altogether, Olson initially dismissed the death-knell invocations. After re-stating his commitment to staying in race, Olson confirmed he was withdrawing his bid on December 17, 2013.[1][9] Olson's exit cleared the path for Democratic candidate Jack Hatch to score the party's nomination; Olson noticeably declined to endorse his former primary opponent upon dropping out of the race.[1]
2012
Olson ran in the 2012 election for Iowa House of Representatives District 65. Olson ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 5, 2012. No Republican candidates filed in the district. The general election took place on November 6, 2012.[11][12]
2010
Olson won re-election to the 38th District Seat in 2010 against Jason Marshall. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. The general election took place on November 2, 2010.[13]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 38 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
 Tyler Olson (D)
|
7,136 | |||
| Jason Marshall (Ind) | 1,410 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Olson was re-elected to the 38th District Seat in the Iowa House of Representatives with no opposition.[14] He raised $78,013 for his campaign.[15]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 38 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Tyler Olson (D)
|
11,571 | |||
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.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Olson is a member of Access Iowa, the American Bar Association, Cedar Rapids Downtown Rotary, Citizens for a Better Cedar Rapids, First Presbyterian Church, Iowa State Bar Association, Linn County Bar Association, Linn County Phoenix Club, Linn Law Club, Neighborhood Revitalization Service Board of Directors and the New Bohemia Arts and Culture District Board of Directors.[16]
Scorecards
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.
2014
In 2014, the 85th Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 13 through May 2.
- Legislators are scored by the ACLU of Iowa on "their records on constitutional principles and civil liberties."[17]
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 14 to May 23.
|
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2012, the 84th Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 9.[18]
|
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for Tyler + Olson + Iowa + Legislature
See also
- Iowa House of Representatives
- Iowa House Committees
- Iowa House of Representatives District 65
- Iowa State Legislature
External links
- Tyler Olson for Governor 2014 Official Campaign Website
- Tyler Olson on Facebook
- Tyler Olson on Twitter
- Tyler Olson on Instagram
- Tyler Olson's Blog
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Project Vote Smart Legislative Profile
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006
- Tyler Olson on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Des Moines-Register, "Democrat Tyler Olson confirms he's dropping out of Iowa governor's race," December 17, 2013
- ↑ Tyler Olson for Governor 2014, "Homepage," accessed July 11, 2013
- ↑ The Des Moines-Register, "Iowa Poll: Iowans widely approve of state's direction, Branstad's performance," December 16, 2013
- ↑ Des Moines Register, Democrat Tyler Olson jumps into the Iowa governor’s race, July 9, 2013
- ↑ The Des Moines-Register, "Iowa Poll: Iowans widely approve of state's direction, Branstad's performance," December 16, 2013
- ↑ Desmoines Register, "AFSCME endorses Olson," October 30, 2013
- ↑ The DesMoines Register, "Tyler Olson claims first union endorsement of Democratic race for governor," September 19, 2013
- ↑ Newton Daily News, "Rep. Dan Kelley endorses Tyler Olson for governor," October 15, 2013
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Des Moines-Register, "Candidate for governor Tyler Olson is getting a divorce," December 2, 2013
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Desmoines-Register, "Olson divorce announcement halts campaign momentum," December 2, 2013
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Department of Elections, "2012 Primary Candidates," accessed May 15, 2012
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official 2010 General election results," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official 2008 General election results," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ Follow The Money, "Funds raised by 2008 Iowa House candidates," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed April 8, 2014
- ↑ ACLU of Iowa, "Legislative Report & Civil Liberties Scorecard," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ StateScape, "Session schedules," accessed August 2, 2014
- ↑ ACLU of Iowa, "Civil Liberties report card," accessed July 11, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ruth Ann Gaines (D) |
Iowa House of Representatives District 65 2013-2015 |
Succeeded by Liz Bennett (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Iowa House of Representatives District 38 2007–2013 |
Succeeded by Kevin Koester (R) |
