Justin Olson
(born 1979) is an American politician who served as a member of the
Arizona Corporation Commission. Olson is a former member of the
Arizona House of Representatives
The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Senate. The House convenes in the legislative chambers at the Arizona State C ...
representing District 25 from January 14, 2013, until 2017.
He is a member of the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
.
Early life and education
Olson was born in
Mesa, Arizona
Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley (Phoenix metropolitan area), East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by ...
. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree and
Master of Business Administration
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
from
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
.
Career
Olson is a tax analyst who worked for the
University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a private for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree lev ...
. From 2011 to 2017, Olson served as a member of the
Arizona House of Representatives
The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Senate. The House convenes in the legislative chambers at the Arizona State C ...
, representing the 19th and 25th districts. On October 17, 2017, Governor
Doug Ducey appointed Olson to fill a vacancy on the
Arizona Corporation Commission.
In October 2021, Olson declared his candidacy for the
2022 United States Senate election in Arizona
The 2022 United States Senate election in Arizona was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Arizona.
The seat was previously held by Republican John McCain, who won his final term in ...
. He lost the Republican primary to
Blake Masters
Blake Gates Masters (born August 5, 1986) is an American venture capitalist and political candidate. Frequently referred to as a protégé of businessman Peter Thiel,
Sources that call Masters a protégé of Thiel include:
*
*
*
*
Masters c ...
.
Elections
* 2016: Olson ran in the Republican primary for
Arizona's 5th congressional district
Arizona's 5th congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of Arizona, currently represented by Republican Andy Biggs.
The district contains Gilbert, Queen Creek, southern and eastern Chandler, and eastern Mesa ...
, losing to
Andy Biggs
Andrew Steven Biggs (born November 7, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who represents in the United States House of Representatives. The district, which was once represented by U.S. Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, is in the ...
.
* 2014: Olson and Russell Bowers defeated Haydee Dawson, Michelle Udall and Jerry Walker in the Republican primary. Olson and Bowers defeated David Butler, Sheila Ogea, and Libertarian
Michael Kielsky in the general election.
* 2012: Redistricted to District 25, and with incumbent Republican Representatives
leaving the Legislature and
David Stevens redistricted to District 14, Olson and
Justin Pierce were unopposed in the August 28, 2012, Republican primary; Pierce placed first, and Olson placed second with 18,392 votes; Pierce and Olson won the three-way November 6, 2012, general election, with Pierce taking the first seat and Olson taking the second seat with 48,335 votes against
Democratic nominee David Butler.
* 2010: When incumbent Republican representative
Rich Crandall
Richard D. Crandall, known as Rich Crandall (born 1967), is a businessman, former Arizona legislator, and former director of the Wyoming Department of Education.
Background
Crandall was born in Santa Barbara, California. He holds a bachelor's ...
ran for
Arizona Senate
The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms w ...
and left a District 19 seat open, Olson ran alongside incumbent representative
Kirk Adams
Kirk Adams (born February 2, 1973) is an American politician who served as the 50th Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives from 2008 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was the Arizona State Representative for the 19th distric ...
in the three-way August 24, 2010, Republican primary, placing first with 12,386 votes; in the three-way November 2, 2010, general election, Adams took the first seat, and Olson took the second seat with 31,583 votes against Democratic nominee Kit Filbey.
References
External links
Official pageat the
Arizona State Legislature
The Arizona State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Senate. Composed of 90 legislators, the s ...
Campaign site*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Justin
1958 births
21st-century American politicians
Arizona State University alumni
Candidates in the 2016 United States elections
Candidates in the 2022 United States Senate elections
Living people
Republican Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives
Politicians from Mesa, Arizona
W. P. Carey School of Business alumni