Ex-deputy Bidal Duran wins tight northern Minnesota House race against homeless advocate Reed Olson

A former sheriff’s deputy and a homeless advocate in Bemidji went head to head to represent a state House seat in northern Minnesota, with fewer than 1,000 votes determining the winner.

Republican Bidal Duran secured 52% of votes over DFL opponent Reed Olson to maintain GOP control of the House 2A seat. The margin came down to 850 votes, according to unofficial results from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.

Duran, 39, who was terminated Aug. 30 from the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office, said in a brief Facebook post on election night: “WE WON!!! I want to thank everyone for their support.”

Olson, 48, a restaurant owner and homeless shelter director in Bemidji who served on the City Council and Beltrami County Board of Commissioners, hoped to flip the seat blue for the first time in a decade.

Neither candidate responded to requests for comment.

Rep. Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook, also a former sheriff’s deputy, did not seek a fifth term to represent the district that covers Lake of the Woods County, portions of Beltrami and Clearwater counties and the Red Lake Reservation.

Duran said law enforcement should have a bigger voice at the Capitol, but Olson and his supporters were concerned about Duran’s law enforcement experience.

As a Bemidji police officer, Duran fatally shot a Red Lake man during a 2018 traffic stop. He was cleared of criminal charges. As a sheriff’s deputy, Duran’s truthfulness was called into question after a judge admonished him for lying on a search warrant. The sheriff also terminated Duran in the midst of his campaign, and previously reprimanded him for turning off his body-worn camera while talking with citizens.

Duran said he had been pursuing early medical retirement for the past nine months, and after exhausting his medical leave, he was terminated.

He said that he’s “looking to serve my community in a different capacity than what I have before.”