Liz Olson
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Liz Olson (Democratic Party) was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 8A. She assumed office on January 3, 2023. She left office on July 5, 2024.
Olson (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives to represent District 8A. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Olson left office on July 5, 2024 to take a position outside of government.[1]
Biography
Liz Olson earned a B.A. in sociology and women's studies from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and an M.A. in congregational and community care from Luther Seminary. Her career experience includes working as a program manager at Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest, director of congregational outreach for the Churches United in Ministry, program officer for Generations Health Care Initiatives, Duluth organizing and policy manager for TakeAction Minnesota, and trainer at Progressive Governance Academy.[2]
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Olson was assigned to the following committees:
- Rules and Legislative Administration Committee
- House Taxes Committee
- Ways and Means Committee, Chair
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2021-2022
Olson was assigned to the following committees:
- House Redistricting Committee
- Ways and Means Committee, Vice Chair
- Workforce and Business Development Finance and Policy Committee
- Commerce Finance and Policy Committee
- House Housing Finance and Policy Committee
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2019-2020
Olson was assigned to the following committees:
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2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Minnesota committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Health and Human Services Reform |
| • State Government |
Sponsored legislation
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
Liz Olson did not file to run for re-election.
2022
See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 8A
Incumbent Liz Olson defeated Art Johnston in the general election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 8A on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Liz Olson (D) | 70.5 | 11,587 |
 | Art Johnston (R) | 29.4 | 4,830 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 22 | ||
| Total votes: 16,439 | |||
 = 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 Minnesota House of Representatives District 8A
Incumbent Liz Olson advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 8A on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Liz Olson | 100.0 | 3,496 |
| Total votes: 3,496 | |||
| = 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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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 8A
Art Johnston defeated Allan Kehr II in the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 8A on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Art Johnston | 66.8 | 1,053 |
 | Allan Kehr II | 33.2 | 523 | |
| Total votes: 1,576 | |||
| = 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: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B
Incumbent Liz Olson defeated Art Johnston in the general election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Liz Olson (D) | 68.2 | 14,769 |
| Art Johnston (R) | 31.7 | 6,879 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 23 | ||
| Total votes: 21,671 | |||
| = 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
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Liz Olson advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Art Johnston advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B.
Campaign finance
2018
General election
General election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B
Incumbent Liz Olson defeated Caroline Burley in the general election for Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Liz Olson (D) | 71.8 | 12,739 |
| Caroline Burley (R) | 28.0 | 4,965 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 28 | ||
| Total votes: 17,732 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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 Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B
Incumbent Liz Olson advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Liz Olson |
| ||||
| = 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 Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B
Caroline Burley advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Caroline Burley |
| ||||
| = 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
Elections for the Minnesota House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 31, 2016. Incumbent Erik Simonson (D) did not seek re-election.
Liz Olson defeated Cody Barringer in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B general election.[3][4]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 7B General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Liz Olson |
71.02% | 13,824 | |
| Republican | Cody Barringer | 28.98% | 5,641 | |
| Total Votes | 19,465 | |||
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State | ||||
Liz Olson defeated Bryan Jensen in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B Democratic primary.[5][6]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 7B Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Liz Olson |
89.03% | 1,607 | |
| Democratic | Bryan Jensen | 10.97% | 198 | |
| Total Votes | 1,805 | |||
Cody Barringer ran unopposed in the Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B Republican primary.[5][6]
| Minnesota House of Representatives, District 7B Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Cody Barringer (unopposed) | |
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Liz Olson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Liz Olson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Olson's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Living Wage Jobs with Benefits: Almost a quarter of the people in Duluth live in poverty. Too often, our neighbors, friends, and family are living paycheck to paycheck, facing foreclosure, or experiencing homelessness. People are working full-time and still can’t support their families. Over half of the workforce in Duluth doesn’t have access to a single paid day off. This poverty hurts our entire community, not only those struggling daily to make ends meet. I believe that we must build an economy that works for everyone, with living wage jobs that allow families to support themselves and live with dignity, and benefits like paid family leave and paid sick and safe time for all workers. Well-Funded Public Education: I am grateful to be raising my daughter in a neighborhood with great public schools. Strong schools are not only necessary for providing education to students, but they are also part of building strong communities. I am committed to building a bright future for Minnesota by ensuring high quality pre-K programs, strong local schools, and supporting our kids all the way to high school graduation. We also need to make Minnesota’s public colleges and universities more affordable so more students have access to these schools and young people don’t graduate drowning in debt. Expanding Participation in our Democracy: I worked hard to defeat the Voter Restriction amendment in 2012 and believe we need to expand access to our democracy, not shrink it. I believe that full and robust participation in all parts of politics — from the way campaigns are run, to the voting booth, to how policies are shaped and passed — makes for a stronger democracy. Minnesota, and Duluth in particular, has historically high voter turnout. This is something to be proud of. However, there are still laws that keep people from participating in our democracy. Tens of thousands of Minnesotans who have left prison and returned to their families and communities cannot cast a ballot because they are still on probation or parole. I support efforts to restore voting rights to those 47,000 Minnesotans. It’s time for the voices of these community members to be heard at the ballot box.[7] |
” |
| —Liz Olson, [8] | ||
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.
Endorsements
2016
In 2016, Olson’s endorsements included the following:[9]
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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 Minnesota scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 3 to May 22.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 31 to May 23.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 5 to May 17.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from February 11 to May 17. Special sessions were convened: June 12 to June 19; July 13 to July 21; August 12; September 11; October 12 to October 15; and November 12.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 20.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from February 20 through May 21.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Minnesota State Legislature was in session from January 3 through May 22. The legislature held a special session from May 23 to May 26.
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See also
2022 Elections
External links
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Candidate Minnesota House of Representatives District 8A |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Minnesota Legislature, "RELEASE: Rep. Liz Olson announces plans to step down from Minnesota House," June 27, 2024
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Liz Olson," accessed March 31, 2023
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "General election results, 2016," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "Minnesota State Primary: Tuesday, August 9, 2016," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Liz for Duluth, "Mission," accessed July 7, 2016
- ↑ Liz for Duluth, "Endorsements," accessed July 7, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jordan Rasmusson (R) |
Minnesota House of Representatives District 8A 2023-2024 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Erik Simonson (D) |
Minnesota House of Representatives District 7B 2017-2023 |
Succeeded by Dave Lislegard (D) |
