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. Lavora Barnes is the party's current chair. She was previously the party's Chief Operating Officer. The party currently con ...

, 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 201 ...

. He was the Democratic nominee for

Michigan's 1st congressional district Michigan's 1st congressional district is a United States congressional district containing the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan and 16 counties of Northern Michigan in the Lower Peninsula. The district is currently represented by Republican J ...

in the 2016 election, losing to Republican

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

in the general election by over 50,000 votes.

Personal life

Johnson was born in

Rockwood, Michigan Rockwood is a city in southeastern Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,289 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. ...

. His father is a retired machinist and his grandfather was a

steelworker Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

. He graduated from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. He is a son of Vivian L. Pluff of Onsted, Michigan, and Gary S. Johnson of

Richland, Pennsylvania Richland is a borough in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Lebanon, Pennsylvania metropolitan statistical area. The population was 1,490 at the 2020 census. Geography Richland is located at (40.357122, -76.257187 ...

. Lon has an identical twin brother, Lance Johnson. On October 22, 2011, Johnson married

Julianna Smoot Julianna Smoot is an American political aide and fundraiser for the Democratic Party. She served as a Deputy Manager of Barack Obama's 2012 presidential reelection campaign, having previously served as White House Social Secretary, Deputy Assistan ...

, 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 served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

'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, and Chief of Staff to

United States Trade Representative The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of the United States federal government responsible for developing and promoting American trade policy. Part of the Executive Office of the President, it is headed by t ...

Ron Kirk Ronald Kirk (born June 27, 1954) is an American lawyer, politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the United States Trade Representative from 2009 to 2013 and the 57th Mayor of Dallas from 1995 to 2002. Born in Austin, Texas, ...

. 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 governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...

, the

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. It is the only organization solely dedicated to electing Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current Chair is Se ...

, and Congressman

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

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

National Democratic Institute The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The NDI's ...

. 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. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

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

Political campaigns

2012 Michigan House of Representatives campaign

Johnson made an unsuccessful bid in the 2012 elections 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 environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who b ...

Chapter, Michigan

League of Conservation Voters The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environmen ...

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

Advocates of Michigan, and

PrideSource ''Between the Lines'' is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ( LGBT) newspaper in the Michigan area. It is headquartered in Livonia, Metro Detroit. 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 as 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 largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

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 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 ...

, while his opponent, Mark Brewer, had the support of the

Michigan Education Association The Michigan Education Association (MEA), headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan, is a labor union representing more than 157,000 teachers, faculty and education support staff throughout the state. Usually referred to as a “teachers' union” it ...

. 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 as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early life and education Benishek was b ...

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)