Severson says his campaign website was hacked

Republican secretary of state candidate Dan Severson says his campaign website was hacked on Wednesday night.

He said technology experts told him the problem came from an outside group that they have not yet identified. But Severson says the timing of the incident raises questions about whether there was a political motivation behind the crash.

"To me it's a little coincidental," Severson said. "It takes place within the last week of the election. It's been up for eight months. We haven't had any problems with it and all of the sudden it gets hacked a week before the election."

Severson offered no evidence to show any motivation for the hacking.

Severson is a former state lawmaker. He lost a previous bid for secretary of state four years ago.

State Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park, and Bob Helland of the Independence Party are also running for the open seat this year.

Update: Severson's campaign wrote on Twitter that the website is back up and running.

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