Dan Severson

Daniel Mark "Doc" Severson[1] (born August 31, 1954) is an American Republican politician. He 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] As of 2022, Severson is a current candidate for the District 4 School Board Member of the Lee County School District in Florida.

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 69)
Mora, Minnesota, U.S.
CitizenshipUnited States of America
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

Early life, education, and military service

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. Severson flew both the A-7 and FA-18 Hornet Strike Fighter during his career. Severson is a member of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School also known as TOPGUN. Severson was stationed in Asia, Southern California, and Washington, D.C. During his time as a Naval Pilot, Severson's name was misread as Doc Severinsen, earning him the call sign "Doc".[4]

Minnesota House of Representatives
Rep. Dan Severson serving as Minority Whip

Elections

In 2002, after redistricting, Severson ran for the newly redrawn Minnesota House District 14A and won defeating DFL nominee Dennis Molitor 49%-47%.[5] In 2004, he won re-election to a second term with 62% of the vote.[6] In 2006, he won re-election to a third term with 54% of the vote.[7] In 2008, he won re-election to a fourth term with 55% of the vote.[8]

Tenure

He was House Republican Minority Whip.[9] He co-sponsored a bill that would eliminate second-hand smoke in bars and restaurants.[10] In 2008, he supported Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty when he vetoed a $3.2 billion budget increase paid for by higher taxes.[11] In 2009, he introduced an amendment to the Minnesota State Constitution to prohibit marriage or civil unions between same-sex couples.[12]

Committee assignments

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.[13]

2010 Secretary of State campaign

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.[14] He received the party's endorsement on April 29, 2010,[15] and challenged incumbent Secretary of State Mark Ritchie in the November 2010 general election.[16]

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.[17]

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.[18] Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie won re-election and defeated Severson 49%-46% .[19]

2012 U.S. Senate campaign
Main article: United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2012

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.[20] 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.

2014 Secretary of State campaign
Main article: Minnesota Secretary of State election, 2014

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%).

2020 U.S. House of Representatives campaign

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.[21] During his campaign, Severson made a tweet including the hashtag "#WWG1WGA", a slogan used by followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory.[22]

2022 Lee County School District campaign

Following immense discontent for the prior school board amongst Lee County citizens, Severson decided to run as a candidate for the District 4 Board Member's position, which encompasses parts of the Cape Coral area in the west side of the county. His primary stances when campaigning were:

  • To place parents in charge of what their student is exposed to in the classroom
  • To maintain safety on school grounds via the "Guardian program"
  • To keep school choice in the hands of the parents
  • To keep Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the 1619 Project out of the curriculum
  • And to work to create a visible and open annual district budget, stating "For too long, the voices of taxpayers and parents have been ignored by an out-of-control School Board that answers to far-left liberal interest instead of the families and taxpayers of Lee County."[23]

As of August 23, 2022, Dan Severson is a current candidate for the district.[24]

References
  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. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  4. "Rochester, MN". Post-Bulletin. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  5. "Our Campaigns - MN House Seat 14A Race - Nov 05, 2002".
  6. "2004 Election Results". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  7. "2006 Election Results". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  8. "2008 Election Results". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  9. Meet Archived March 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  10. Tom Scheck (April 26, 2007). "Minnesota House approves smoking ban". St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  11. "Minn. lawmakers override governor's veto". February 26, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  12. 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.
  13. "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Severson, Daniel "Dan"". House.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  15. 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.
  16. Salisbury, Bill (April 28, 2010). "Minnesota GOP endorses Severson for Secretary of State". Twin Cities.
  17. Severson's use of 'Doc' nickname on ballot challenged
  18. "Issues: Dan "Doc" Severson for Minnesota Secretary of State". Danseverson.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  19. "Election Reporting". Electionresults.sos.state.mn.us. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  20. Washington Post - May 16, 2011: "Former Minn. GOP state Rep. Severson to challenge Democratic US Sen. Klobuchar in 2012"
  21. "Dan Severson ready to represent conservative region in Congress". November 12, 2019.
  22. Kaplan, Alex. "Here are the QAnon supporters running for Congress in 2020". Media Matters for America. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  23. "HOME | Dan Severson For Lee County School Board, District 4". Dan Severson. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  24. "Lee County Election Results for August 23, 2022 | The News-Press". www.news-press.com. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
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