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Dan Severson

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Dan Severson
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 14A district
In office
January 7, 2003 – January 3, 2011
Preceded bySteve Dehler
Succeeded byTim O'Driscoll
Personal details
Born
Daniel Mark Severson

August 31, 1954 (1954-08-31) (age 70)
Mora, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCathy Jo
Residence(s)Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma materSt. Cloud State University
ProfessionBusiness owner
Fighter pilot
Politician
Veteran
Military service
AllegianceU.S.
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1978–2000
RankCommander

Daniel Mark Severson[1] (born August 31, 1954) is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who represented District 14A, which includes portions of Benton and Stearns counties in the north central part of the state. He is a retired U.S. Navy fighter pilot, business owner, and substitute teacher.[2]

Early life, education, and military service

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Severson graduated from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud in 1979 with a B.A. in Physics. He was a Navy fighter pilot, officer and commander from 1978 to 2000.[3]

Dan "Doc" Severson with crew and FA18 Hornet

Severson enlisted in the Navy in 1978 at the age of 21. Severson was in the Navy for 22 years, most of those years as a Strike-Fighter Pilot.

Minnesota House of Representatives

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Rep. Dan Severson serving as Minority Whip

Elections

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In 2002, after redistricting, Severson ran for the newly redrawn Minnesota House District 14A and won defeating DFL nominee Dennis Molitor 49%-47%.[4] In 2004, he won re-election to a second term with 62% of the vote.[5] In 2006, he won re-election to a third term with 54% of the vote.[6] In 2008, he won re-election to a fourth term with 55% of the vote.[7]

Tenure

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He was House Republican Minority Whip.[8] He co-sponsored a bill that would eliminate second-hand smoke in bars and restaurants.[9] In 2008, he supported Republican governor Tim Pawlenty when he vetoed a $3.2 billion budget increase paid for by higher taxes.[10] In 2009, he introduced an amendment to the Minnesota State Constitution to prohibit marriage or civil unions between same-sex couples.[11]

Committee assignments

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Severson was a member of the House Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee for the Veterans Affairs Division, and the Finance subcommittees for the Housing Finance and Policy and Public Health Finance Division, the Public Safety Finance Division, and the Transportation Finance and Policy Division.[12]

2010 Secretary of State campaign

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In October 2009, Severson announced that he had filed the paperwork to run for Minnesota Secretary of State, seeking the Republican Party's endorsement for his candidacy at their 2010 state convention.[13] He received the party's endorsement on April 29, 2010,[14] and challenged incumbent secretary of state Mark Ritchie in the November 2010 general election.[15]

In his filing for secretary of state, Severson sought to be listed using his Navy pilot call name Doc Severson, some thought it to be an allusion to former Tonight Show band leader Doc Severinsen. Severson was challenged because he had not previously appeared on the ballot with the nickname "Doc." Severson stated the nickname had been given to him as he went through flight training and followed him through his 22 year career.[16]

Severson ran for secretary of state on the contention that there was widespread fraud in the recount of the 2008 Senate election and a requirement that voters show a Photo ID to vote.[17] Incumbent Democratic secretary of state Mark Ritchie won re-election and defeated Severson 49%-46%.[18]

2012 U.S. Senate campaign

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Main article: 2012 United States Senate election in Minnesota

On May 16, 2011, Severson announced that he would seek the Republican party's endorsement for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Amy Klobuchar.[19] However, he lost the endorsement at the party convention and withdrew in favor of State Representative Kurt Bills. Klobuchar was re-elected in a landslide, winning all but two counties.

2014 Secretary of State campaign

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Main article: 2014 Minnesota Secretary of State election

Severson ran for secretary of state again in 2014. After winning the party endorsement ahead of former state senator John Howe, Severson was unopposed in the primary election. He lost the general election to Democratic state representative Steve Simon by 901,450 votes (47.04%) to 879,022 (45.87%).[citation needed]

2020 U.S. House of Representatives campaign

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Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 19

Severson moved to Florida in 2015. In October, 2019 Congressman Francis Rooney announced his retirement from congress, Severson declared his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives for Florida's 19th congressional district in the 2020 elections.[20] During his campaign, Severson made a tweet including the hashtag "#WWG1WGA", a slogan used by followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory.[21] He came in seventh place in the GOP primary, with just 3.1% of the vote.

2022 Lee County School District campaign

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After losing the U.S. House of Representatives race, Dan also ran for but lost in a more modest local school board election[22]

References

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  1. ^ "Dan Severson for Senate Campaign Page". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  2. ^ "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Severson, Daniel "Dan"". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  3. ^ "Project Vote Smart". Vote Smart. Archived from the original on October 31, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  4. ^ "Our Campaigns - MN House Seat 14A Race - Nov 05, 2002".
  5. ^ "2004 Election Results". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  6. ^ "2006 Election Results". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  7. ^ "2008 Election Results". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  8. ^ Meet Archived March 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  9. ^ Tom Scheck (April 26, 2007). "Minnesota House approves smoking ban". St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  10. ^ "Minn. lawmakers override governor's veto". February 26, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  11. ^ Carlyle, Erin (March 19, 2009). "Minn. legislators propose constitutional ban on gay marriage". City Pages. Minneapolis. Rep. Dan Severson (R-Sauk Rapids) introduced a bill this week to amend the Minnesota constitution so that marriage between a man and a woman is the only legally recognized domestic union in the state.
  12. ^ "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Severson, Daniel "Dan"". House.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  13. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  14. ^ Brock, Rick (April 30, 2010). "Minnesota GOP Convention Day 1 Results". RogueOn Minnesota. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  15. ^ Salisbury, Bill (April 28, 2010). "Minnesota GOP endorses Severson for Secretary of State". Twin Cities.
  16. ^ Severson's use of 'Doc' nickname on ballot challenged[dead link‍]
  17. ^ "Issues: Dan "Doc" Severson for Minnesota Secretary of State". Danseverson.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  18. ^ "Election Reporting". Electionresults.sos.state.mn.us. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  19. ^ Washington Post - May 16, 2011: "Former Minn. GOP state Rep. Severson to challenge Democratic US Sen. Klobuchar in 2012"
  20. ^ "Dan Severson ready to represent conservative region in Congress". November 12, 2019.
  21. ^ Kaplan, Alex (January 7, 2020). "Here are the QAnon supporters running for Congress in 2020". Media Matters for America. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  22. ^ https://www.lee.vote/Portals/Lee/Results/ArchivedResults/11-8-2022%20Results%20SUMMARY.pdf?ver=OD_RkOucAKsAZK9mwJotiQ%3d%3d [bare URL]
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Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Minnesota Secretary of State
2010, 2014 		Succeeded by
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