Chris A. Johansen (born April 3, 1952) is an American politician from Maine. He served as a Republican in the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via ...

for Maine's 145th House of Representatives district, which comprises 20 towns in

Aroostook County Aroostook County ( ; ) is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of Maine. It is located along the Canada–United States border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,105. The county seat is Houlton, with offices in Caribou and Fo ...

. An outspoken opponent of state-mandated public health measures put in place during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, his wife later died from the disease. He resigned from office on November 19, 2021.

Maine House of Representatives

Johansen was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2016, replacing incumbent Ricky Long, who did not seek re-election. Johansen was re-elected to the Maine House in both 2018 and 2020.

COVID-19

During the

COVID-19 pandemic in Maine The COVID-19 pandemic was publicly reported to have reached the U.S. state of Maine on March 12, 2020. , the Maine Department of Health and Human Services reported 131,530 confirmed cases and 46,971 probable cases in the state, with 1,777 deaths ...

, Johansen was an outspoken opponent of state-mandated public health precautions taken in Maine to reduce the spread of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. In April 2020 he organized two protests in the State Capitol against statewide business shutdowns, acknowledging the virus was public health threat but arguing restrictions should be relaxed in rural areas and calling for a limited reopening of the state's economy. He later joined a group of House lawmakers who refused to wear face masks in the Maine State House despite being required by House leadership to do so. A staged confrontation between these lawmakers and Capitol police drew media attention and lead to the representatives being stripped of their committee assignments for a period of time. In late July 2021, both Johansen and his wife, Cindy, became ill with COVID-19. Cindy was admitted to the hospital, and died on August 11. A week following her death, Johansen attended a rally in opposition to vaccine mandates for healthcare workers at the

Maine State House The Maine State House in Augusta, Maine, is the state capitol of the State of Maine. The building was completed in 1832, one year after Augusta became the capital of Maine. Built using Maine granite, the State House was based on the design of th ...

. He later wrote his wife was reluctant to be vaccinated due to "the conflicting information we have been getting from day one." On November 19, 2021, Johansen sent a letter to House Speaker Ryan Fecteau announcing his resignation, citing a need to tend to the family farm following his wife's death.

Career and personal life

Johansen is a veteran of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. He is retired from a career in law enforcement and lives in

Monticello, Maine Monticello is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States on the northern branch of the Meduxnekeag River. The population was 737 at the 2020 census. History History Originally known as Wellington Township, Monticello was settled in 183 ...

. Johansen has two children, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He is a lifetime member of the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...

and the

National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

Electoral history

References

External links

Profile at Maine House of RepresentativesChris Johansen
at

Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is an American non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected offic ...

Rep. Chris Johansen Weighs in on Current Legislative Session
(video) on '' WAGM''. March 2, 2021 {{DEFAULTSORT:Johansen, Chris A. Living people Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives People from Aroostook County, Maine 1952 births 21st-century members of the Maine Legislature People from Monticello, Maine