MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Longtime Republican state lawmaker Luther Olsen will not seek re-election. Olsen is a moderate in the Republican majority who survived a 2011 recall attempt and served as head of the Senate’s Education Committee. Olsen turns 70 on Wednesday. He announced Monday that he will step down after serving 16 years in the Senate representing a south-central Wisconsin district that includes all or portions of nine counties, from Dane in the south to Waupaca in the north. Moments after he announced his decision, Republican Rep. Joan Ballweg, of Markesan, said that she would run to replace him.
