(CSi)  Members of West Fargo’s District 13 Republican Party have endorsed candidates for the North Dakota Legislature.

Meeting Tuesday night, they unanimously endorsed Sen. Judy Lee and Rep. Kim Koppelman for re-election and Austen Schauer for the House seat being vacated by Rep. Christopher Olson.

Olson, who is now the District 13 Republican Chairman, decided not to seek re-election because of current time demands of family and business.

Schauer is a familiar face to many, having spent years as a local television news anchor.  Currently, he works in the executive search field.  His family is also familiar to many in West Fargo, as his wife, Angela, was a long-time teacher in the West Fargo Public School system.

Lee, a retired real estate broker, has served in the Senate since 1994 and chairs the Senate Human Services Committee, while also serving on the Senate Political Subdivisions Committee and the Health Care Reform Review, Health Services, Human Services and Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Interim Committees.  She also serves on the Comprehensive Health Association of North Dakota Board and the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee.

Koppelman, owner of Koppelman & Associates, LLC, a communications, advertising and marketing firm, was also first elected in 1994.  He chairs the House Judiciary Committee and also serves on the Political Subdivisions and Administrative Rules Committees as well as the Judiciary and Government Administration Interim Committees.  He is also a member of the North Dakota Commission for Legal Defense of Indigents and the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission.  He is also the former national chairman of the Council of State Governments (CSG).