Timothy V. Johnson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Timothy V. Johnson | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2001– |
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| Preceded by | Tom Ewing |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | July 23, 1946 (age 60) Champaign, Illinois |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | divorced |
| Religion | Assembly of God |
Timothy V. (Tim) Johnson (born July 23, 1946) is an American politician who has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 2001, representing Illinois's 15th congressional district (map). He was born in Champaign, Illinois, was educated at the University of Illinois. He was a lawyer, a realtor, a member of the Urbana City Council and a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1976 to 2000 before entering the U.S. House of Representatives.
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[edit] Early years and education
Johnson was born in Champaign to Robert and Margaret Evans Johnson, but spent his childhood in Urbana where he graduated high school. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1964[1] followed by the University of Illinois. Johnson majored in history and graduated in 1969 Phi Beta Kappa and received the Bronze tablet,[2] an honor received by the top 3% of undergraduates.[3] In 1972, Johnson graduated with honors from the University of Illinois College of Law and was elected to the Order of the Coif, a national legal honor society.[4][5]
Johnson has divorced three times[5] and has nine children and nine grandchildren.[4] He was an attorney and senior partner at Frederick, Hagle, Johnson and Walsh from 1972 to 2001.[1]
[edit] Political career
In 1971, Johnson was elected to the Urbana City Council.
[edit] Illinois House of Representatives
Johnson was initially elected to serve as a representative in Springfield in 1976, after besting five other Republican candidates in the 1976 primaries.[4] In his initial congressional race, his competitor published a photo from 1980 of a paper clip lodged into Johnson's voting button at the Illinois House of Representatives, allowing him to vote along party lines while out of the chamber.[6]
[edit] Congressional career
In the House, Johnson's voting record is the most moderate among Illinois Republicans outside of the Chicago area. The American Conservative Union gave him its second-lowest rating among Illinois Republicans, behind only Mark Steven Kirk of the 10th District.
Johnson voted against the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act,[7] which passed but was vetoed by President George W. Bush.
In June 2006, Johnson voted against net neutrality, by voting for the COPE Act, and against the Markey amendment that would have inserted provisions to preserve network neutrality.
As part of the 108th Congress, Johnson received a rating of score of 0 from the Human Rights Campaign. This was for, among other things, voting against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would have prohibited discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation, and for refusing to adopt a written policy for his own office pledging not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in employment decisions.[8]
[edit] Congressional campaigns
[edit] Campaign Costs
In 2004, Johnson raised raised $533,478 in campaign funds,[9] less than half the national average for a Republican running for reelection ($1,206,138).
The 2004 campaign fundraising was about a quarter of the [10] $1,943,630 raised by his initial campaign in 2000; that in turn was nearly double the amount raised by his fellow freshmen Republicans ($1,171,118).[9]
[edit] 2006 re-election campaign
In his 2000 campaign, Johnson pledged not to serve more than three terms. However, he is running for re-election in 2006, for his fourth term. Johnson "underestimated the value of seniority," spokesman Phil Bloomer says of his boss' decision to run for a fourth term. "As a rookie going in, (he) didn't understand what he could accomplish for his district by being there a longer period."[11]
In the 2006 election in November, Johnson again faced Democrat David Gill, M.D., whom he defeated in 2004, 61% to 39%.
At the end of June 2006, Johnson had over $130,000 available for spending for his 2006 campaign, more than double the total amount raised by his opponent at that point. In the 2006 midterm elections, he was reelected by a slightly narrower 16% margin [1]. However, many of his Republican colleagues were not as fortunate, as the party lost its majority in the House in that same election.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Project Vote Smart. Representative Timothy V. Johnson. Accessed October 17, 2006.
- ^ University of Illinois. Recipients of the Bronze tablet, 1960s.
- ^ University of Illinois. Bronze tablet background information
- ^ a b c 15th Congressional District of Illinois. Biography. Accessed October 17, 2006.
- ^ a b Associated Press election coverage. Last updated: October 16, 2006.
- ^ Guerrero, Lucio (October 2000). "A trio of races in this state could help tip the partisan balance in Congress". Illinois Issues. Retrieved on 2006-10-16.
- ^ Final vote results for roll call 204. Retrieved on 2006-08-12.
- ^ Human Rights Campaign (2004). Congressional scorecard, 108th Congress. Retrieved on 2006-08-11.
- ^ a b The price of admission. opensecrets.org. Retrieved on 2006-08-11.
- ^ Total raised and spent, 2000 race, Illinois district 15. opensecrets.org. Retrieved on 2006-08-11.
- ^ Andrea Stone (2006-04-12). Term-limit pledges get left behind. USA Today. Retrieved on 2006-08-11.
[edit] External links
- U.S. Congressman Timothy V. Johnson
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission - Timothy V. Johnson
- On the Issues - Timothy Johnson
- OpenSecrets.org - Timothy V. Johnson
- Project Vote Smart - Representative Timothy V. 'Tim' Johnson (IL)
- SourceWatch Congresspedia - Tim V. Johnson
- Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Tim Johnson
- Friends of Congressman Timothy V. Johnson
| Preceded by Thomas W. Ewing |
U.S. Representative of Illinois's 15th Congressional District 2001- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
