La Tonya Johnson (born June 22, 1972) is an American activist and politician from
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. She serves in the
Wisconsin State Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...
, representing the seat formerly held by
Nikiya Harris Dodd, having easily defeated her opponents in the Fall 2016
primary election
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...
, and being unopposed in the
general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
.
Background
Johnson was born June 22, 1972 in
La Grange, Tennessee
La Grange is a town in Fayette County, Tennessee, Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 133 at the 2010 census. A large area in the town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as La Grange Historic District (La ...
. She earned a
B.S.
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
degree in
criminal justice
Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...
from
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenness ...
, and has lived in Milwaukee for twenty-eight years. She owned and operated Anointed Child Care Service, an in-home daycare service, and served as president of
Local 502 of
AFSCME
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is the largest trade union of public employees in the United States. It represents 1.3 million public sector employees and retirees, including health care workers, correcti ...
, the union which represents in-home daycare providers in
Milwaukee County
Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...
. She has one daughter, Sydney.
Nomination and election
Assembly
When
Barbara Toles resigned from her
Assembly District 17 seat, Johnson was one of four candidates who vied for the Democratic nomination in this recently redistricted
inner city
The term ''inner city'' has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Sociologists some ...
district. She achieved an easy plurality, with 43% of the vote, in a field which included a former
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Milwaukee Area Technical College (or MATC) is a public two-year vocational-technical college based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. MATC offers day, evening, and weekend classes at campuses in downtown Milwaukee, Oak Creek, West Allis, and Mequon. En ...
Board member with
UAW
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American Labor unions in the United States, labor union that represents workers in the Un ...
ties, and an aide to State Representative
Elizabeth Coggs.
In the general election, she drew 20,262 votes, to 3564 for her sole opponent,
banker
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
Anthony Edwards.
Senate
In November 2016, Johnson was elected to the
Wisconsin State Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...
. She had easily defeated two opponents (local government lobbyist Thomas Harris and
Milwaukee School Board member Michael Bonds) in the August Democratic primary, and was unopposed in the general election. In 2020, she defeated primary challenger Michelle Bryant, the chief of staff for State Senator Lena Taylor. In the general election, she defeated Alciro Deacon in a landslide.
References
External links
Profileat the
Wisconsin Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...
Campaign websiteCampaign website on FacebookInterview with Johnson on ''WisconsinEYE''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, La Tonya
1972 births
African-American state legislators in Wisconsin
African-American women in politics
American trade union leaders
Living people
Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators
Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
People from La Grange, Tennessee
Politicians from Milwaukee
Tennessee State University alumni
Women state legislators in Wisconsin
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees people
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American politicians
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women