GOP senate leaders reject Olson

Mark Olson fell into political disfavor after his 2006 arrest in connection with a domestic dispute. A Sherburne County jury found Olson guilty last summer of one count of misdemeanor assault against his wife.

Republicans in the Minnesota House voted last December to permanently remove Olson from their caucus. The eight-term legislator tried to put the issue to rest earlier this year by apologizing to his colleagues in the Minnesota House for what he termed his "personal failure."

"All the requirements placed upon me by the court have been fulfilled and completed," he said then. "And I want to apologize now to all of you for my part in this plight by asking you, will you forgive me for bringing dishonor and disrepute to you as my colleagues and to this institution?"

After local GOP leaders picked former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer to run for his House seat, Olson's political career appeared to be over.

But then Gov. Tim Pawlenty picked Sen. Betsy Wergin, R-Princeton, to serve on the Public Utilities Commission. Olson decided to run for the newly vacant District 16 seat, and to the surprise of some Republican officials, won the local party endorsement last week.

"Character and integrity in this case rise above party and process."

Senate Minority Leader David Senjem, R- Rochester welcomed Olson's candidacy last month. But renewed concerns about Olson, fueled by GOP bloggers, have been growing within the party ranks.

Now Senjem says his caucus won't support Olson and will instead back his primary opponent, Alison Krueger.

"Character and integrity in this case rise above party and process," he said Thursday. "And we felt that Mark, given his circumstances in life, specifically his conviction for spousal abuse, really didn't pass the test if you will for the kind of candidate we wanted."

Senjem said if Olson is elected he will not be welcome as a member of the minority caucus.

Attempts to reach Olson for this story were unsuccessful.

Mark Swanson of Becker, the Republican chairman in the 6th Congressional District, was a delegate at last week's endorsing convention. Swanson said he voted for Alison Krueger but will now support Olson as the endorsed candidate.

Swanson said other Republican leaders should also respect that endorsement.

"I don't believe it's the role of either the state party or anybody else at those levels to say to 92 people that voted for Mark that you're wrong," he said. "It's up to the people who are locally there to provide the support to who they want as their candidate. And those people chose Mark Olson."

Swanson said Olson and Krueger pledged not to campaign for the primary if they didn't win the party endorsement. Both names will still appear on the ballot, and Senate Republicans say they'll throw their full support behind Krueger.

Senjem said he doesn't yet know the extent of that support.

"This is for us a kind of statement position," he said. "In the end the voters of District 16 will decide. And if it's their decision to send Mark Olson to the Capitol in St. Paul, that's their decision and we'll respect that."

Senjem said if Olson ends up winning the election, he'll have to operate under the same independent status that he had in the Minnesota House.

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