Alan Olsen
Alan Randal Olsen (born March 24, 1948) is an American Republican politician who serves in the Oregon State Senate, representing Oregon's 20th Senate district in southeastern Clackamas County, including the cities of Barlow, Canby, Gladstone, Johnson City, Oregon City, and portions of Milwaukie. He defeated incumbent Democrat Martha Schrader in the 2010 election.
Alan Olsen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Oregon Senate from the 20th district | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Martha Schrader |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 24, 1948 McHenry, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Juanita Olsen |
| Residence | Canby, Oregon, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Purdue University (BS) |
Early life and career
Olsen was born and grew up in McHenry, Illinois. He graduated from McHenry High School and attended Purdue University, where in 1975 he earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. From 1969 to 1971 Olsen served in the U.S. Army. He moved to Oregon in 1978 and has been the owner and operator of Custom Construction Services since 1987 specializing in the design and construction custom homes and commercial projects. Locally, Olsen is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and is a past President of the Oregon Bass Federation Nation.[1]
Political career
Olsen was the candidate for Senate District 20. According to Willamette Week Senate District 20 was a battleground race between Republicans and Democrats. Democrats held a majority in both the state House (36–24) and Senate (18–12).[2]
The Republican Party of Oregon for the 2010 election cycle hosted the first online primary. On July 30 the primary results were released announcing Olsen as the nominated candidate for senate district 20 from the Republican Party of Oregon.[3]
Olsen narrowly defeated incumbent Martha Schrader by 227 votes.[4]
From June 20, 2019, all 11 Republican state senators for Oregon, including Olsen, refused to show up for work at the Oregon State Capitol, instead going into hiding, some even fleeing the state. Their aim was to prevent a vote on a cap-and-trade proposal that would dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to combat climate change. The Senate holds 30 seats, but 1 is vacant due to a death. Without the Republican senators, the remaining 18 Democratic state senators could not reach a quorum of 20 to hold a vote.[5][6]
References
- "Small business owner announces run for State Senate". Alan Olsen for State Senate Committee. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
- "The Fall Line". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- "Primary Election Results" (PDF). Independent party of Oregon. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
- Mapes, Jeff (December 6, 2010). "Senate Democrats seek partial recount in Olsen-Schrader race". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
- "Oregon Republicans walk out on state Senate over climate change bill as governor threatens police roundup". CBS News. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- Osborne, Mark; Youn, Soo (June 23, 2019). "Oregon's Republican state senators go into hiding over climate change vote amid militia threat". ABC News. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
https://web.archive.org/web/20120728135427/http://www.leg.state.or.us/listn/archive/archive.2011s/SENATE-201102101057.ram Please take a look at his first bill in Office.