Dustin M. Johnson (born September 30, 1976) is an American politician serving as the
U.S. representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for
South Dakota's at-large congressional district
South Dakota's at-large congressional district is the sole congressional district for the state of South Dakota. Based on area, it is the fourth largest congressional district in the nation.
The district is currently represented by Dusty Johnson ...
since
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
. A member of the
Republican Party, he served as
South Dakota Public Utilities Commission
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regulates the energy, Telecommunications and grain warehouse companies located in South Dakota. The PUC keeps track of the Do Not Call Registry. Commissioners are elected to six-year terms in stag ...
er from 2005 to 2011, when he was appointed chief of staff to Governor
Dennis Daugaard
Dennis Martin Daugaard (born June 11, 1953) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 32nd governor of South Dakota from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was the first chief executive of a U.S. state to be the c ...
, a position he held until 2014. Between his state political career and congressional service, Johnson was the vice president of Vantage Point Solutions in
Mitchell, South Dakota
Mitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 census making it the sixth most populous city in South Dakota.
Mitchell is the principal city of the Mitchell Micr ...
.
Early life and education
Johnson was born in
Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre ( ; lkt, Čhúŋkaške, lit=fort) is the capital city of South Dakota, United States, and the seat of Hughes County. The population was 14,091 at the 2020 census, making it the second-least populous US state capital after Montpelier, ...
. He graduated from
T.F. Riggs High School in 1995. He graduated from the
University of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship univ ...
with
Omicron Delta Kappa
Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is one of the most prestigious honor societies in the United States with chapters at more than 300 college campuses. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University in ...
honors with a B.A. in political science in 1999, and was a member of fraternity
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...
. He earned his M.P.A. from
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
in 2002.
In 1998, Johnson was named a
Truman Scholar
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership. It is a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic ...
. As a Truman Scholar, he worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
In 2003, Johnson worked as a senior policy advisor for then-South Dakota Governor
Mike Rounds
Marion Michael Rounds (born October 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Dakota since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 31st governor of South Dakota ...
.
State government career
Public Utilities Commission (2004–2011)
In 2004, Johnson was elected to the
South Dakota Public Utilities Commission
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regulates the energy, Telecommunications and grain warehouse companies located in South Dakota. The PUC keeps track of the Do Not Call Registry. Commissioners are elected to six-year terms in stag ...
. He was the youngest utilities commissioner in the nation.
He was reelected in 2010. Johnson was also a member of the executive board of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. In 2007, he became chair of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, a position he held until he resigned in 2011. In 2010, he led a South Dakota delegation that included then-Governor Rounds and state regulators that met with FCC Commissioners about concerns over the FCC's National Broadband Plan and its impact on small and rural providers in South Dakota.
Daugaard administration (2011–2014)
In 2011, he resigned his PUC position to become Governor
Dennis Daugaard
Dennis Martin Daugaard (born June 11, 1953) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 32nd governor of South Dakota from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was the first chief executive of a U.S. state to be the c ...
's
chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
, a position he held for four years. As chief operating officer for much of state government, he supervised cabinet secretaries, policy advisors and many of Daugaard's projects and initiatives.
Private sector career (2014–2018)
In 2014, Johnson resigned as chief of staff, leaving the public sector to work for Vantage Point Solutions in
Mitchell, South Dakota
Mitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 census making it the sixth most populous city in South Dakota.
Mitchell is the principal city of the Mitchell Micr ...
. Fellow
Truman Scholar
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership. It is a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic ...
Tony Venhuizen succeeded Johnson as Daugaard's chief of staff. Johnson resigned his position with Vantage Point Solutions in 2018 upon his accession to Congress.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2018
On November 15, 2016, Johnson announced his candidacy for
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for .
The announcement came shortly after
Kristi Noem
Kristi Lynn Noem (; née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician serving as the 33rd governor of South Dakota since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2019 and a member ...
announced she would not seek reelection to Congress in order to run in the
2018 South Dakota gubernatorial election.
Johnson defeated
Secretary of State of South Dakota
The secretary of state of South Dakota is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The current secretary of state is Monae Johnson.
Divisions
The secretary of state's office is composed of three divisions:
*ThBusi ...
Shantel Krebs
Shantel Swedlund Krebs (born April 28, 1973) is an American businesswoman and former South Dakota Secretary of State. She previously served in the South Dakota House of Representatives and South Dakota Senate.
Early life and education
Shantel ...
and State Senator
Neal Tapio
Neal Tapio (born September 19, 1970) is an American businessman, South Dakota state senator, and a former candidate for U.S. Representative for . Tapio gained attention as an early supporter of Donald Trump and served as the Trump presidential ...
in the June 5 Republican primary. He defeated Democratic nominee Tim Bjorkman, a retired circuit court judge, and two minor candidates in the November general election.
2020
On February 19, 2020, Johnson announced his bid for reelection to the House. On February 4, 2020, former state representative
Liz Marty May
Elizabeth Marty May (born January 1, 1961) is an American politician and a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 27 since January 12, 2021. Defeated by Democrat Peri Pourier in 2018, she later ran fo ...
announced she would challenge Johnson in the Republican primary.
Two Democrats, Brian Wirth of Dell Rapids and Whitney Raver of Custer, announced their candidacy for the House seat, but neither got the required number of signatures to make the ballot. According to state party chairman
Randy Seiler
Randolph John Seiler (born July 1, 1946) is an American attorney and veteran serving as the chair of the Democratic Party of South Dakota since 2019. He served as the 41st United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota from 2015 until ...
, Wirth and Raver's canvassing efforts were hampered by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. On June 2, Johnson won the Republican primary, 77%–23%. He won the general election with 81% of the vote.
2022
On October 12, 2021, State Representative
Taffy Howard announced that she would challenge Johnson in the Republican primary. On June 7, 2022, Johnson defeated Howard, 59%–40%.
Tenure
Johnson was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives on January 3, 2019, and joined the
Problem Solvers Caucus soon after.
Antitrust
In 2022, Johnson was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.
Border wall
On March 26, 2019, Johnson was one of 14 Republicans to vote with all House Democrats to override President Trump's veto of a measure revoking Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the southern border.
January 6 commission
On May 19, 2021, Johnson was one of 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish the
January 6, 2021 commission
The National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex, known colloquially as the January 6 commission, was an unsuccessful proposal to create a commission that would have investigated the January 6 Uni ...
meant to investigate the
storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Liz Cheney
During the second vote to oust
Liz Cheney
Elizabeth Lynne Cheney (; born July 28, 1966) is an American attorney and politician who has been the U.S. representative for since 2017, with her term expiring in January 2023. She chaired the House Republican Conference, the third-highest p ...
, Johnson was among the few House Republicans who voted to keep her as conference chair.
Committee assignments
*
Committee on Education and Labor
The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 50 members in this committee. Since 2019, the chair of the Education and Labor committee is Robert Cortez Scott of Virginia.
Hi ...
**
Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services
**
Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
*
Committee on Agriculture
**Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations
**Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit
Caucus memberships
*
Republican Main Street Partnership
The Republican Main Street Partnership is a 501(c)(4) organization that was allied with the congressional Republican Main Street Caucus. The Partnership continues to exist, while the Caucus was dissolved by its members in February 2019.
Hist ...
*
Problem Solvers Caucus
*
Congressional Coalition on Adoption
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is an American non-partisan, non-profit organization "dedicated to raising awareness about the millions of children around the world in need of permanent, safe, and loving families and to el ...
Electoral history
Personal life
Johnson has been actively involved as a state advisor for
South Dakota Teen Age Republicans (TARs) and its
Black Hills
The Black Hills ( lkt, Ȟe Sápa; chy, Moʼȯhta-voʼhonáaeva; hid, awaxaawi shiibisha) is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk P ...
camp leader since 2004.
He serves on the board of directors for the
W.O. Farber Fund,
Abbott House, and on the
South Dakota Attorney General
The Attorney General of South Dakota is the state attorney general of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The attorney general is elected by popular vote to a four-year term and holds an executive position as the state's chief legal officer. In 1992, ...
's Open Government Task Force. Johnson has served as an adjunct professor at
Dakota Wesleyan University
Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) is a private Methodist university in Mitchell, South Dakota. It was founded in 1885 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The student body averages slightly fewer than 800 students. The campus of th ...
.
References
External links
Congressman Dusty Johnsonofficial U.S. House website
Dusty Johnson for Congress
*
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Dusty
1976 births
Dakota Wesleyan University faculty
Living people
People from Mitchell, South Dakota
People from Pierre, South Dakota
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota
University of Kansas alumni
University of South Dakota alumni
21st-century American politicians
Chiefs of staff to United States state governors