Tara J. Johnson (born 1962) is an American
Democratic politician and retired nonprofit executive from
La Crosse County, Wisconsin. She is a member of the
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...
, representing
Wisconsin's 96th Assembly district
The 96th Assembly district of Wisconsin is one of 99 districts in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Located in western Wisconsin, the district comprises all of Vernon County, Wisconsin, Vernon County and part of southwest La Crosse County, Wisconsi ...
since
2025
So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
. She previously served as a member of the La Crosse County board of supervisors, from 2000 to 2020, and was the first female chairperson of the county board, holding that office from 2011 to 2020.
During her first marriage, she was known as Tara Johnson Finn.
Early life and career
Tara Johnson graduated from
Carroll University
Carroll University is a private university in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States. It was established in 1846 as Wisconsin's first four-year institution of higher learning. The university is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).
History ...
in 1984, with her bachelor's degree in German. Shortly after her college graduation, she went to work at the
United Way
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...
of Greater
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
. After five years, she transferred to the United Way of
Brown County, Wisconsin, before becoming executive director of the United Way of the La Crosse Area in 1993. While working at the United Way, Johnson was a member of the
AFSCME union, and often represented her colleagues in contract negotiations.
Political career
Johnson made her first bid for public office in 2000. She sought a seat on the Board of Supervisors, challenging 12-year incumbent supervisor Lila Seager. Johnson didn't take issue with particular policies or votes of Seager, but offered her candidacy as a fresh perspective on the board. Johnson won the election by just 19 votes.
She was subsequently re-elected nine times, serving until 2020.
State Senate run (2008)
In 2008, Johnson ran for
Wisconsin Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those ...
, challenging Republican incumbent
Dan Kapanke
Daniel E. Kapanke is an American businessman and politician who was a former Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 32nd District from 2005 until losing his seat to Jennifer Shilling in the 2 ...
in the
32nd Senate district. At the time, the 32nd Senate district comprised all of La Crosse, Crawford, and Vernon counties, along with the southern half of Monroe County and parts of northwest Richland County. The 32nd Senate district was one of the mostly hotly contested legislative races in the state that year; Johnson fell 2,507 votes short of Kapanke.
County board chair (2011–2020)
In 2011, board chair
Steve Doyle was elected to the
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...
and subsequently resigned the chair. Johnson was elected to succeed him, and became the first female chair of the La Crosse County board. She continued as chair until leaving office in April 2020.
U.S. House bid (2023–2024)
In the fall of 2023, Johnson announced that she would run for
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of the ...
in
Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district
Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district covers most of the Driftless Area in southwestern and western Wisconsin. The district includes the cities of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Wisconsin, La Crosse, and Stevens Point, Wisconsin, ...
. At the time, she was the third Democrat to enter the race, seeking the party's nomination to challenge first term incumbent Republican
Derrick Van Orden
Derrick Francis Van Orden (born September 15, 1969) is an American politician, actor, and retired United States Navy SEAL who is the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Early ...
. A fourth Democrat, state representative
Katrina Shankland
Katrina Shankland (born August 4, 1987) is an American community organizer and Democratic politician from Stevens Point, Wisconsin. She served six terms as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 71st Assembly district f ...
, soon joined the race; Johnson opted to withdraw from the race after her father's death in January 2024.
State Assembly (2024)
Johnson's plans changed again two months later, after the legislature was forced to adopt a new
redistricting act due to the
Wisconsin Supreme Court
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...
striking down the previous decade-old Republican gerrymander. The La Crosse area was significantly impacted by the redistricting. The city of La Crosse, which had been entirely packed into the 95th Assembly district, was unpacked into the 94th, 95th, and 96th districts, creating three competitive but Democratic-leaning seats. The new
96th Assembly district comprised nearly all of Vernon County, along with the southwest corner of La Crosse County, including Johnson's hometown, Shelby.
Johnson was the first candidate to declare her candidacy for the seat, in March 2024. She was soon joined by Viroqua businessman and political newcomer Steven Campbell, setting up a contested Democratic primary. In the primary, Johnson emphasized her 20 years of experience on the county board, working in collaboration with the legislature and local governments. She won the primary in a landslide, taking 74% of the vote,
and went on to face Republican incumbent
Loren Oldenburg. Johnson narrowly defeated Oldenburg in the general election, receiving 51% of the vote.
She took office in January 2025.
Personal life and family
Tara Johnson took the last name Finn when she married Scott Finn in 1984. They were married for nine years before divorcing in 1993.
Tara subsequently returned to her maiden name before marrying Timothy Padesky, a union electrician. Johnson resides with her husband in the town of
Shelby, Wisconsin
Shelby is a town in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,715 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Shelby is located in the town.
...
, just outside of La Crosse; they have two adult children.
Electoral history
Wisconsin Senate (2008)
Wisconsin Assembly (2024)
References
External links
Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Tara
1962 births
Living people
People from La Crosse County, Wisconsin
Carroll University alumni
County supervisors in Wisconsin
Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Women state legislators in Wisconsin
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature