Mike Johnson (Louisiana politician)
James Michael Johnson is the U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 4th congressional district, first elected in 2016. He is the chairman of the conservative House Republican Study Committee.
From 2015 to 2017, Johnson served as a representative in the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 8 in Bossier Parish. During his tenure he proposed the Louisiana Marriage and Conscience Act, a bill that was ultimately tabled.
Early life and education
Johnson was born in Shreveport, the oldest of four children of Jeanne Johnson and the late James Patrick Johnson, a firefighter who founded the nonprofit organization, the Percy R. Johnson Burn Foundation, after having been critically burned and disabled in the line of duty. Johnson has two brothers, Chris and Josh, and a sister, Laura.Johnson graduated from Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport. He received an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he was a member of the Order of Omega honor society and Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He holds a Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University Law Center, and worked as constitutional attorney in Benton, in Bossier Parish seat of government located north of Bossier City, Louisiana.
Johnson is a member of the Council for National Policy, the National Rifle Association, the American Bar Association, and the Louisiana Family Forum.
Commentator
Johnson has served as a talk radio host and conservative columnist. He has appeared on The O'Reilly Factor, Fox and Friends, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and National Public Radio.Legal career
Prior to his election to Congress, Johnson was also a partner in the Kitchens Law Firm and a senior attorney and national media spokesman for the Alliance Defense Fund, now known as Alliance Defending Freedom, which describes itself as "a non-profit legal defense and advocacy organization dedicated to religious liberty, traditional family values, and the value and sanctity of life." Johnson was also formerly chief counsel of the non-profit law firm Freedom Guard.Johnson served as co-counsel for the state defendants in the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Louisiana state ban on same-sex marriage in both 2004 and again in 2015. He was driving home from a hearing on the matter before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans when he learned from a radio broadcast that he would run unopposed in his bid to succeed Thompson.
Johnson served as a trustee of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission within the Southern Baptist Convention from 2004-2012.
Louisiana House of Representatives
Johnson ran unopposed in the special election called for February 21, 2015 to select a successor to Jeff R. Thompson, a Republican who had resigned to become a judge in Louisiana's 26th Judicial District Court. The election was cancelled when only Johnson filed for the seat. Johnson was re-elected on October 24, 2015, again running without opposition.Johnson was endorsed by United States Senator David Vitter and United States Representative John Fleming, as well as the political action committee of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.
Louisiana Marriage and Conscience Act
In April 2015, Johnson proposed a bill titled the Marriage and Conscience Act, similar in content to Indiana's controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed a few days earlier, though Johnson denied that his legislation was based on the Indiana law.Johnson's Marriage and Conscience Act would have eliminated the state of Louisiana's ability to withhold a "state license, certification, accreditation, employment, state contracts, state benefits, or tax deductions" from a person or entity based on their views on the institution of marriage. Critics denounced the bill as an attempt to protect people who discriminate against same-sex married couples.
Then-Governor Bobby Jindal pledged to sign Johnson's bill into law if it passed both houses of the legislature. IBM and other employers in the region expressed their opposition to the bill, including concerns about the hiring difficulties it would likely produce. Other politicians also objected, including fellow Republican, Baton Rouge Metro Councilman John Delgado, who described Johnson as a "despicable bigot of the highest order" for proposing the bill.
On May 19, 2015, the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee voted 10-2 to table the bill, effectively ending its chances to become law. Both Republicans and Democrats voted against the bill; other than Johnson, only Republican Ray Garofalo voted for it. After the bill was tabled, Governor Jindal said that he would issue an executive order to enforce its intent. Johnson planned to reintroduce his own bill in 2016.
Other
In March 2016, Johnson opposed a one-penny increase in the state sales tax proposed to help address Louisiana's $940 million budget deficit. The one-penny increase was approved by a vote of 76 to 27, with one vacancy. A House and Senate conference committee subsequently changed the duration of the tax from five years, as recommended by the state Senate to twenty-seven months, effective from April 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018.In 2015 and 2016 Johnson led a pro-life "Life March" in Shreveport-Bossier City.
Johnson opposed the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
United States House of Representatives
2016 campaign
On February 10, 2016, Johnson announced his candidacy for the 4th congressional district seat held for eight years by John Fleming, who was running, ultimately unsuccessfully, for the United States Senate seat vacated by David Vitter.In a runoff election held on December 10, 2016, Johnson defeated the Shreveport Democratic attorney Marshall Jones, 87,369 votes to 46,578. He won all fifteen parishes in the district, with 78 percent in Bossier Parish but only 52 percent in his native neighboring Caddo Parish, also the home of opponent Jones. Eliminated in the November 8 primary election were Republicans Trey Baucum, a Shreveport cardiologist, former State Senator Elbert Guillory of Opelousas, Shreveport attorney Rick John,
Oliver Geoffrey Jenkins, a member of the Shreveport City Council.
2018 reelection
In 2018, Johnson won his second term in the U.S. House, having led a three-candidate field with 139,307 votes. Democrat Ryan Trundle trailed with 72,923 votes.Tenure
Johnson was sworn into office on January 3, 2017. He is a member of the Republican Study Committee.Jeffrey Hayden Haynes, a great-grandson of the late Webster Parish Sheriff O. H. Haynes Jr., is Johnson's chief of staff. He was formerly an aide to former U.S. Senator David Vitter. In 2018, Haynes was named campaign manager in Johnson's bid for re-election.
Johnson voted in favor of the American Health Care Act of 2017.
In December 2017, Johnson voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. After voting for the act, Johnson described the economy as "stunted" and as a "burden" on Americans. Additionally, "The importance of this moment cannot be overstated. With the first comprehensive tax reform in 31 years, we will dramatically strengthen the U.S. economy and restore economic mobility and opportunity for hardworking individuals and families all across this country."
Committee assignments
- Committee on the Judiciary
- * Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations
- * Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security
- *Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
- Committee on Natural Resources
- * Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- * Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans
Political positions