1. Lon Johnson is the former chairperson of the Michigan Democratic Party, having served in that position from 2013 through 2015.
20 Facts About Lon Johnson
1. 2.
Lon Johnson was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2012 election for the 103rd district in the Michigan House of Representatives.
3.
Lon Johnson was the Democratic nominee for Michigan's 1st congressional district in the 2016 election, losing to Republican Jack Bergman in the general election by over 50,000 votes.
4.
Lon Johnson's father is a retired machinist and his grandfather was a steelworker.
5.
Lon Johnson is a son of Vivian L Pluff of Onsted, Michigan, and Gary S Johnson of Richland, Pennsylvania.
6.
On October 22,2011, Johnson married Julianna Smoot, a fundraiser for Democrats.
7.
Lon Johnson was a Deputy Manager of Barack Obama's 2012 presidential reelection campaign, having previously served as White House Social Secretary, Deputy Assistant to the President, and Chief of Staff to United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk.
8.
Lon Johnson's wife's employment in the Obama reelection effort was a campaign issue.
9.
Lon Johnson has worked for the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and Congressman John Dingell's 2002 campaign.
10.
Lon Johnson worked for a non-profit called the National Democratic Institute.
11.
Lon Johnson was formerly vice president of a private equity firm in Tennessee, TVV Capital, a private fund in Nashville that invests in small and midsize manufacturers and other companies, chiefly in the Southeast.
12.
In November 2023, ahead of the 2024 United States Senate election in Michigan, Senate candidate and business executive Nasser Beydoun alleged that Lon 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 Rashida Tlaib.
13.
Lon Johnson made an unsuccessful bid in the 2012 elections to unseat incumbent Republican Representative Bruce Rendon in the 103rd district of the Michigan House of Representatives.
14.
Lon Johnson's endorsements included the Mackinac Sierra Club Chapter, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, and PrideSource.
15.
Lon Johnson's campaign raised a total of $347,637 during the 2012 election cycle.
16.
On February 5,2013, Lon Johnson announced his intentions to become Michigan Democratic Party Chairperson.
17.
Lon Johnson received the support of the United Auto Workers, while his opponent, Mark Brewer, had the support of the Michigan Education Association.
18.
Lon 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.
19.
On June 25,2015, Lon Johnson announced his intentions to step down as Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party and run for Michigan's 1st congressional district.
20.
Lon Johnson faced Republican nominee Jack Bergman in the November 2016 general election.