One of the Democrats who’s running for governor released a statement today, announcing he and his wife are separating.

State Representative Tyler Olson of Cedar Rapids said the decision to separate was made “only after significant discussion and professional support to deal with the issues facing (his) marriage.” Olson said he and his wife, Sarah, “are working through divorce proceedings, but remain friends whose number one priority is the happiness and well-being of (their) children.”

Olson wrote that the decision about whether to continue running for governor “is complicated.” He’ll scale back campaign appearances for a few weeks, but plans to resume full-time campaigning after the holidays.

Sarah Olson along with the couple’s two-year-old daughter and five-year-old son attended Olson’s campaign kick-off event in July. Sarah Olson introduced her husband to the crowd gathered at the statehouse, calling her husband “a hard-working, dedicated, forward-thinking man.”  The couple met while volunteering on the campaign of a local legislative candidate in Cedar Rapids.