Blake Johnson

Lowell Blake Johnson (born c. 1971)^[1] is a farmer from his native Clay County, Arkansas, who is a Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate for District 20, which includes Clay, Greene, Lawrence and parts of Randolph and Craighead counties, based in the northeastern portion of his state.^[2][3]

Background

Johnson graduated from Corning High School in Corning, Arkansas, and Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science. Since 1995, he has been a self-employed farmer raising rice and soybeans on family-owned land.^[2] Johnson is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. He is affiliated with the Corning Baptist Church and the Gideons International, a Bible-distribution group.^[4]

Political life

From 2005 to 2015, Johnson served on the Corning City Council, including a time on the Parks and Recreation Committee from 2006 to 2009.^[4] In 2012, he ran in the general election against incumbent Democrat state Senator Robert F. Thompson. He lost by 447 votes; Thompson polled 13,616 (50.8 percent) to Johnson's 13,169 (49.2 percent).^[5] In 2014, Johnson reversed the tide; in a stronger Republican year than in 2012, he unseated Thompson, 12,096 votes (53.8 percent) to 10,405 (46.2 percent).^[3]

Johnson sits on these Senate committees: (1) Education, (2) Agriculture, Forestry, and Economic Development, (3) Senate Rules, Resolutions, and Memorials, (4) Joint Public Retirement and Social Security Programs, and (5) Legislative Joint Auditing.^[6]

In February 2015, Johnson supported House Bill 1228, authored by Republican Bob Ballinger of Carroll County in northwestern Arkansas.^[7] The measure sought to prohibit government from imposing a burden on the free exercise of religion.^[8] Johnson's colleague, Representative Camille Bennett, a Democrat from Lonoke, called for a reworking of the legislation^[9] on the theory that the Ballinger bill would establish a "type of religious litmus test" which could impact nearly any law under consideration by the legislature.^[7] The legislation was subsequently passed by a large margin in the House and signed into law in revised form, SB 975, by Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson.^[10]

That same month, Johnson joined the large Senate majority, with only seven dissenters, which reduced payments of unemployment compensation, another measure signed into law by Governor Hutchinson.^[11]

References