Lon Johnson | |
---|---|
Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party | |
In office February 23, 2013 –July 11, 2015 | |
Preceded by | Mark Brewer |
Succeeded by | Brandon Dillon |
Personal details | |
Born | Lonnie Barton Johnson June 18 Rockwood,Michigan,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Julianna Smoot |
Education | Arizona State University,Tempe (BA) |
Website | Official website |
Lonnie Barton Johnson is an American politician. He is the former chairperson of the Michigan Democratic Party, [1] [2] having served in that position from 2013 through 2015. [3] [4] He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2012 election for the 103rd district in the Michigan House of Representatives. [5] He was the Democratic nominee for Michigan's 1st congressional district in the 2016 election,losing to Republican Jack Bergman in the general election by over 50,000 votes. [6] [3] [7]
Johnson was born in Rockwood,Michigan. His father is a retired machinist and his grandfather was a steelworker. He graduated from Arizona State University. He is a son of Vivian L. Pluff of Onsted,Michigan,and Gary S. Johnson of Richland,Pennsylvania. [8] Lon has an identical twin brother,Lance Johnson.
On October 22,2011,Johnson married Julianna Smoot, [8] a fundraiser for Democrats. She was a Deputy Manager of Barack Obama's 2012 presidential reelection campaign, [9] having previously served as White House Social Secretary,Deputy Assistant to the President, [10] and Chief of Staff to United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk. His wife's employment in the Obama reelection effort was a campaign issue. [11]
Johnson has worked for the Democratic National Committee,the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, [12] and Congressman John Dingell's 2002 campaign. [3] [12] Johnson also worked for a non-profit called the National Democratic Institute. During his time there he traveled to Iraq to help with the installation of a political system based on democratic governance. [13] He was formerly vice president of a private equity firm in Tennessee,TVV Capital, [14] a private fund in Nashville that invests in small and midsize manufacturers and other companies,chiefly in the Southeast. [8]
Johnson made an unsuccessful bid in the 2012 elections to unseat incumbent Republican Representative Bruce Rendon in the 103rd district of the Michigan House of Representatives. [7] [5]
During the election,his opponent made the employment of his wife,Julianna Smoot,in the Obama reelection effort a campaign issue. [11]
His endorsements included the Mackinac Sierra Club Chapter,Michigan League of Conservation Voters,Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan,and PrideSource. [15]
Johnson's campaign raised a total of $347,637 during the 2012 election cycle. [16]
On February 5,2013,Johnson announced his intentions to become Michigan Democratic Party Chairperson. [14] [17] The two-year position was voted on during the Michigan Democratic Party Convention at Cobo Hall in Detroit on February 23,2013. [18] Johnson's main opponent was Mark Brewer. Brewer was the longest-serving Democratic Party chairperson in the US,having first been elected to the position in 1995. [4] [14] [19]
All seven Democrats in Michigan’s congressional delegation signed a letter sent to party members on February 5,2013 which announced their collective endorsement of Johnson for the chair of the state party. [14] [17] [18] He also received the support of the United Auto Workers, [4] [18] while his opponent,Mark Brewer,had the support of the Michigan Education Association. [4] [20]
Johnson said he intended to hire an executive director to oversee day-to-day operations of the state headquarters while he focused on campaign and outreach efforts. [20]
On the day of the election,February 23,2013,Mark Brewer withdrew from the race. Brewer announced his decision to thousands of delegates to withdraw rather than continue a floor election. Johnson was elected chairperson shortly after Brewer's announcement. [1] [2]
On June 25,2015,Johnson announced his intentions to step down as Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party and run for Michigan's 1st congressional district. [6] His tenure as Chair officially ended on July 11,2015,when a new Chair was selected by the state party's executive committee. [6] Republican incumbent Dan Benishek is retiring. [21]
Johnson won the Democratic primary in August 2016. He faced Republican nominee Jack Bergman in the November 2016 general election. [22] Bergman won 55% of the vote to Johnson's 40%. [23] [24]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Bruce Rendon (I) | 23,308 | 52.8 | |
Democratic | Lon Johnson | 20,832 | 47.2 | |
Republican hold | ||||
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Representative Rendon sent out a fundraising letter that calls attention to the fact that Johnson’s wife … "mis one of the people running President Obama’s reelection campaign, and a superstar of Democratic politics. ...Johnson released a letter that calls on his Republican opponent to lay off his wife.