Lonnie Barton Johnson is an American politician. He is the former chairperson of the

Michigan Democratic Party The Michigan Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Michigan. It is based in Lansing. Curtis Hertel Jr. is the party's current chair. Structure Residents of the state of Michigan at least 16 years of age are ...

, having served in that position from 2013 through 2015. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2012 election for the 103rd district in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

. He was the Democratic nominee for

Michigan's 1st congressional district Michigan's 1st congressional district is a United States congressional district that fully contains the 15 counties of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and 20 counties of Northern Michigan in the Lower Peninsula. The district is currently represen ...

in the 2016 election, losing to Republican

Jack Bergman John Warren Bergman (born February 2, 1947) is an American politician and retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 1st congressional district since 2017. He is a member of the Re ...

in the general election by over 50,000 votes.

Personal life

Johnson was born in Rockwood, Michigan. His father is a retired machinist and his grandfather was a

steelworker Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high elastic modulus, yield strength, fracture strength and low raw material cost, steel is one of the m ...

. He graduated from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. He is a son of Vivian L. Pluff of

Onsted, Michigan Onsted is a village within Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village had a population of 988 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located within the Irish Hills region, the village is part of C ...

, and Gary S. Johnson of Richland, Pennsylvania. Lon has an identical twin brother, Lance Johnson. On October 22, 2011, Johnson married Julianna Smoot, a fundraiser for Democrats. She was a Deputy Manager of

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's 2012 presidential reelection campaign, having previously served as

White House Social Secretary The White House social secretary is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of official social events at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Function The social ...

Deputy Assistant to the President The Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP) comprises the offices and list of federal agencies in the United States, agencies that support the work of the President of the United States, president at the center of governmen ...

, and Chief of Staff to

United States Trade Representative The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government responsible for developing and promoting Foreign trade of the United States, United States ...

Ron Kirk Ronald Kirk (born June 27, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Trade Representative from 2009 to 2013, as the 97th secretary of state of Texas, and as the 56th mayor of Dallas from 1995 to 2002. He is a me ...

. His wife's employment in the Obama reelection effort was a campaign issue.

Career

Johnson has worked for the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

, the

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. Its purpose is to elect Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current Chair is Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of Ne ...

, and Congressman

John Dingell John David Dingell Jr. ( ; July 8, 1926 – February 7, 2019) was an American politician from the state of Michigan who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1955 until 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, D ...

's 2002 campaign. Johnson also worked for a non-profit called the

National Democratic Institute The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is a non-profit American non-governmental organization whose stated mission is to "support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability". It is ...

. During his time there he traveled to Iraq to help with the installation of a political system based on democratic governance. He was formerly vice president of a private equity firm in

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, TVV Capital, a private fund in Nashville that invests in small and midsize manufacturers and other companies, chiefly in the Southeast.

Controversy

In November 2023, ahead of the

2024 United States Senate election in Michigan The 2024 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a Classes of United States senators, Class I member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Michigan. It was held concurrently with the 202 ...

, 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 The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi Tlaib ( ; born July 24, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2019, representing the state's 12th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, sh ...

. 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."

Political campaigns

2012 Michigan House of Representatives campaign

Johnson made an unsuccessful bid in the

2012 elections * 2012 United Nations Security Council election Africa Egypt * 2012 Egyptian presidential election Mali * 2012 Malian presidential election * 2012 Malian parliamentary election Senegal * 2012 Senegalese presidential election * 2012 Senegalese p ...

to unseat incumbent Republican Representative Bruce Rendon in the 103rd district of the

. During the election, his opponent made the employment of his wife, Julianna Smoot, in the Obama reelection effort a campaign issue. His endorsements included the Mackinac

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

Chapter, Michigan

League of Conservation Voters The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "builds political power for people and the planet." Through its affiliated super PAC, it is a major supporter of the Democratic Party. The org ...

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

Advocates of Michigan, and

PrideSource ''Between the Lines'' is an LGBT newspaper in the Michigan area. It is headquartered in Livonia, Metro Detroit.About Us
." ''P ...

. Johnson's campaign raised a total of $347,637 during the 2012 election cycle.

2013 Michigan Democratic Party Chairperson election

On February 5, 2013, Johnson announced his intentions to become

Chairperson. The two-year position was voted on during the Michigan Democratic Party Convention at

Cobo Hall Huntington Place (formerly known as Cobo Hall, Cobo Center, and briefly TCF Center) is a convention center in Downtown Detroit, owned by the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA) and operated by ASM Global. Located at 1 Washi ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

on February 23, 2013. 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. 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. He also received the support of the

United Auto Workers The United Auto Workers (UAW), fully named International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and sou ...

, while his opponent, Mark Brewer, had the support of the Michigan Education Association. 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. 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.

2016 U.S. House campaign

On June 25, 2015, Johnson announced his intentions to step down as Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party and run for

. His tenure as Chair officially ended on July 11, 2015, when a new Chair was selected by the state party's executive committee. Republican incumbent

Dan Benishek Daniel Joseph Benishek (April 20, 1952 – October 15, 2021) was an American physician and politician who served three terms as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early life and education Be ...

is retiring. Johnson won the Democratic primary in August 2016. He faced Republican nominee

in the November 2016 general election. Bergman won 55% of the vote to Johnson's 40%.

Electoral history

References

External links

Lon Johnson for Congress
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Lon Arizona State University alumni Living people Michigan Democratic Party chairs Michigan Democrats People from Wayne County, Michigan Year of birth missing (living people)