Lon Johnson
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 | 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]
Personal life
[edit]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]
Career
[edit]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]
Controversy
[edit]In November 2023, ahead of the 2024 United States Senate election in Michigan, Senate candidate and business executive Nasser Beydoun alleged that Johnson had approached him with an offer of $20 million from a pro-Israel lobbying group to drop out of the Senate race and primary United States Representative Rashida Tlaib. Johnson repeatedly denied the claims, saying, "that's just crazy. I didn't offer him $20 million, or any other amount of money, to run against Rashida. That's insane."[15]
Political campaigns
[edit]2012 Michigan House of Representatives campaign
[edit]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.[16]
Johnson's campaign raised a total of $347,637 during the 2012 election cycle.[17]
2013 Michigan Democratic Party Chairperson election
[edit]On February 5, 2013, Johnson announced his intentions to become Michigan Democratic Party Chairperson.[14][18] The two-year position was voted on during the Michigan Democratic Party Convention at Cobo Hall in Detroit on February 23, 2013.[19] 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][20]
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][18][19] He also received the support of the United Auto Workers,[4][19] while his opponent, Mark Brewer, had the support of the Michigan Education Association.[4][21]
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.[21]
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]
2016 U.S. House campaign
[edit]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.[22]
Johnson won the Democratic primary in August 2016. He faced Republican nominee Jack Bergman in the November 2016 general election.[23] Bergman won 55% of the vote to Johnson's 40%.[24][25]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Rendon (I) | 23,308 | 52.8 | |
| Democratic | Lon Johnson | 20,832 | 47.2 | |
| Republican hold | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b Gautz, Chris (February 23, 2013). "Longtime chair Mark Brewer is out; state Dems elect Lon Johnson". Crain's Detroit Business. Associated Press. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
- ^ a b Gray, Kathleen (February 23, 2013). "Mark Brewer exits race for party chair after tense day at Michigan Democratic convention". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
- ^ a b c Clark, Zoe; Pluta, Rick (February 3, 2013). "Electoral College reform, 2014 Gov race, and Democratic infighting (Oh my!)". Michigan Radio. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Eggert, David (February 5, 2013). "Key Democrats back challenger to party chairman". WWJ-TV. Associated Press. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ a b "Michigan House of Representatives results". Detroit News. Associated Press. December 31, 2012. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ a b c Todd Spangler and Kathleen Gray (June 25, 2015). "Dem party chair Lon Johnson to challenge U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Oosting, Jonathan (February 1, 2013). "Michigan Democratic leader Mark Brewer denies convict's accusation of concocting fake Tea Party scheme; Republican leader calls for resignation". MLive. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Julianna Smoot and Lon Johnson". New York Times. October 23, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ "Factbox: Key players in Obama's re-election campaign". Reuters. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
- ^ "Obama taps Washington insider as social secretary". Blnz.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
- ^ a b Clark, Zoe; Rick Pluta (August 31, 2012). "It's Just Politics". Michigan Radio. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
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.
- ^ a b "About Lon". Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Phillips, Chad (April 23, 2012). "103rd Democratic Candidate Lon Johnson is Northern Michigan's Prince Fielder". Michigan Populist Blog. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Gautz, Chris (February 5, 2013). "Key Democrats back challenger to state party Chairman Mark Brewer". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Schuster, Simon (November 27, 2023). "Michigan Senate candidates were offered $20M to drop race, challenge Rashida Tlaib". MLive Media Group. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ "Lon Johnson's Special Interest Group Ratings". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ "Johnson, Lon". OpenSecrets.
- ^ a b Gray, Kathleen (February 5, 2013). "Congressional Democrats throw support behind Johnson for state party chair". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c Oosting, Jonathan (February 5, 2013). "Michigan Congressional Democrats back Lon Johnson to replace Mark Brewer as party leader". MLive. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ "Lessenberry: 'Mark Brewer Is In Trouble' In Bid To Stay State Democratic Chairman". Deadline Detroit. January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ a b Livengood, Chad; Shepardson, David (February 5, 2013). "Mich. leaders seek ouster of 18-year Democrat chairman Mark Brewer". Detroit News. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Cahn, Emily (September 15, 2015). "Dan Benishek to Retire in 2016 (Updated)". Roll Call. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- ^ Gibbons, Lauren (August 2, 2016). "Lon Johnson wins 1st Congressional District Democratic primary". MLive. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ "Michigan U.S. House 1st District Results: Jack Bergman Wins". The New York Times. November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ^ Bennett, John (November 9, 2016). "New Member: GOP's Jack Bergman Claims Michigan's 1st District". Roll Call. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ^ "2012 Michigan Election Results 103rd District Representative in State Legislature 2 Year Term (1) Position". Michigan Secretary of State. February 22, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2016.