Betty Olson


Betty Olson is a rancher, EMT, and substitute schoolteacher. She is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the South Dakota Senate in District 28 from 2015 to 2017. Before that, she was a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives in District 28B from 2007 to 2015.

Early life and career

Betty Olson attended local schools and went to university. She became a rancher and also worked as an EMT. She worked some periods as a substitute teacher in the public schools. She lives in Prairie City, South Dakota.

Elections

In 2014, Olson wrote a column for the that contained a joke widely criticized as a bigoted slur. The "joke" alleged that President Barack Obama was a Muslim terrorist, and cast 7-11 managers, Motel 6 managers, cab drivers, and customer service representatives as Muslim terrorists. As the controversy stirred and outrage grew, Olson refused to express regret for her words, saying the problem was that "people don't have a sense of humor." She later denied being a racist, noting that "the guy who sent it to me is married to a black lady...."