Assembly
When Barbara Toles resigned from her Assembly District 17 seat,Johnson was one of four candidates who vied for the Democratic nomination in this recently redistricted inner city district. [4] She achieved an easy plurality,with 43% of the vote,in a field which included a former Milwaukee Area Technical College Board member with UAW ties,and an aide to State Representative Elizabeth Coggs. [5] [6]
When Barbara Toles announced her retirement from the state assembly,Johnson was one of four candidates who attempted to seek the Democratic nomination. During the primary she faced Fred Royal,legislative aide to Elizabeth M. Coggs Tracey Dent,who was backed by the pro-school choice American Federation for Children, [7] and Sam Coleman.
In the general election,she defeated Independent and banker,Anthony Edwards,by a wide margin. [8]
Senate
In November 2016,Johnson was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate. She had easily defeated two opponents,local government lobbyist Thomas Harris and Milwaukee School Board member Michael Bonds,in the August Democratic primary,and was unopposed in the general election. [9] [10]
In 2020,Johnson faced a primary challenge from Michelle Bryant,the chief of staff to fellow senator Lena Taylor. During the campaign,the two ran on a broadly similar record,but the primary difference was on the topic of Mandatory minimum sentencing. In 2015 Johnson sponsored legislation when she was a member of the state assembly to establish mandatory minimums for violent offenders caught with firearms,Bryant on the other hand ran in the primary opposing that legislation and criticizing Johnson for advocating for such minimums. In the primary election,Johnson defeated Bryant by a large margin. [11] Following the primary,Johnson criticized Lena Taylor for what she argued was a toxic climate created by her in the legislature as well as a series of incidents spanning back to 2013 when Johnson was first elected. [12] Johnson was re-elected in the general election,defeating Republican Alciro Deacon by a wide margin.
In 2021 Johnson and state representative Shelia Stubbs unveiled the "Birth Equity Act" which was a set of six pieces of legislation which would provide post-delivery home wellness visits,designate pregnancy a qualifying event for employer-sponsored health plans,remove the sales tax on breastfeeding supplies and expand access to dental care for pregnant women who receive BadgerCare. [13]
In April 2022,10-year-old Lily Peters from Chippewa Falls,Wisconsin,went missing,triggering a search that ended in tragedy when her body was found. Despite the urgency of the situation,Lily's case did not meet the strict criteria for an Amber Alert,leaving her family and community feeling helpless and prompting a public outcry for change. [14] Advocacy efforts,including a petition that received over 196,000 signatures,called for an expansion of the alert criteria to better protect children. The campaign,targeted at Senator Jesse James,did not result in legislation during the 2021-22 Legislative Session. [15]
In October 2023,the case of 5-year-old Prince McCree from Milwaukee,Wisconsin,brought national attention to the limitations of the existing Amber Alert system. Prince went missing while at home,and despite efforts from his family and the Milwaukee Police Department to issue an Amber Alert,the request was denied due to the lack of information on a suspect. [16] Tragically,Prince was found dead the following day,leading to a renewal in advocacy for a more inclusive alert system for missing children.
In response to disappearance of McCree,State Senator LaTonya Johnson collaborated with State Senator Jesse James to introduce the Protection and Recovery Involving Non-located Children Endangered (PRINCE) Act. Named in honor of Prince McCree,the PRINCE Act modifies the missing adult at risk criteria,currently used for the Silver Alert system,to include children under 10,or children under 18 who have a physical or mental disability that would prevent them from returning home safely. This legislation,which passed both the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly in February 2024,aims to ensure that every missing child receives immediate and widespread attention. [17]
After the PRINCE Act passed the Assembly unanimously,Senator Johnson released a statement saying "The passage of this bill fulfills my promise to the families of Prince McCree and Lily Peters,and to the families of missing children around the state. I am deeply moved and grateful for the bipartisan support that the PRINCE Act received,and I look forward to seeing Governor Evers sign this bill into law." [18]
During a debate in the state senate on the next state budget,Johnson criticized Republican policies she claimed contributed to crime in Milwaukee,including inaction on gun control. She provided an anecdote about how she had lost count of the number of funerals she had attended due to gun violence. Johnson accused Republicans of only taking action when crime affected their suburban communities. [19] At the end of her speech,she stated "What about [the moms of children in the city],who had to say goodbye to their kids forever,because of their zip code? Fuck the suburbs,because they don't know a goddamn thing about life in the city." [19] [20] This comment received national attention,and Steve Schuster,head of the Wisconsin Law Journal,called for Johnson to resign over her comments. [21] Others,such as Dan Schafer,came to her defense. [22] Later,Johnson apologized for her comments,saying "Although I stand by the context of my speech,I could have used a different choice of words on the Senate floor. I apologize for using those specific words." [23]
In 2024,Johnson was re-elected unopposed.
