Tim Johnson (U.S. Senator) : biography
Timothy Peter "Tim" Johnson (born December 28, 1946) is the senior United States Senator from South Dakota, serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as the United States Representative for from 1987 to 1997, and in the state legislature from 1979 to 1987. Johnson does not plan to seek reelection in 2014.
Political campaigns
Johnson narrowly defeated three-term Senator Larry Pressler (R) in the 1996 U.S. Senate election, making him the only Senate candidate to defeat an incumbent in a year that saw thirteen open seats. In 2002, he defeated his successor in the at-large House seat, U.S. Representative John Thune (R), by 524 votes to win re-election. Johnson’s re-election race was widely seen as a proxy battle between President George W. Bush, who had carried South Dakota comfortably in 2000, and the state’s senior Senator and Johnson’s fellow Democrat, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who was subsequently up for re-election in 2004 and lost to Thune.
2008
Johnson ran for reelection in 2008. While he was recovering earlier in the campaign season, fellow Democratic senators raised funds on behalf of his campaign. Early polls showed Johnson likely to beat the Republican challenger, Joel Dykstra, and he did, with 62.5% of the vote.
In January 2008, Johnson endorsed Barack Obama for President in the Democratic primary.
Early life, education and career
Johnson was born in Canton, South Dakota, the son of Ruth Jorinda (née Ljostveit) and Vandel Charles Johnson. He has Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish ancestry. Raised in Vermillion, Johnson earned a B.A. in 1969 and an M.A. in 1970 from the University of South Dakota, where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. After doing post-graduate studies at Michigan State University from 1970 to 1971, a period during which he worked for the Michigan State Senate, Johnson returned to the University of South Dakota and earned his J.D. in 1975. Immediately after earning his law degree, he went into private practice.
Health
Johnson was treated for prostate cancer in 2004 and further tests showed that he was clear of the disease. On December 13, 2006, during the broadcast of a live radio interview from Washington with WNAX radio in Yankton, South Dakota, Johnson suffered bleeding in the brain caused by a cerebral arteriovenous malformation, a congenital defect that causes enlarged and tangled blood vessels. In critical condition, he underwent surgery at George Washington University Hospital to drain the blood and stop further bleeding. Johnson then underwent a lengthy regimen of physical, occupational, and speech therapy to gain strength and mobility and restore his severely affected speech. In his 2007 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush wished Johnson well.
On February 15, 2007, Johnson marked his return to Senate work by co-sponsoring his first piece of legislation since his illness, the Emergency Farm Relief Act of 2007."". February 16, 2007 Johnson returned to his full schedule in the Senate on September 5, 2007 to both tributes and standing ovations. His speech, although much improved, continues to be affected by his stroke.
Personal life
Johnson’s elder son, Brooks, serves in the U.S. Army. Johnson and his wife Barbara, a professional social worker, have another son, Brendan, the current United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota, and a daughter, Kelsey.
Electoral history
Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1986 | Tim Johnson | 171,462 | 59% | Dale Bell | 118,261 | 41% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1988 | Tim Johnson | 223,759 | 72% | David Volk | 88,157 | 28% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1990 | Tim Johnson | 173,814 | 68% | 83,484 | 32% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1992 | 230,070 | 69% | John Timmer | 89,375 | 27% | Ronald Wieczorek | Independent | 6,746 | 2% | Robert J. Newland | Libertarian | 3,931 | 1% | * | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1994 | Tim Johnson | 183,036 | 60% | Jan Berkhout | 112,054 | 37% | Ronald Wieczorek | Independent | 10,832 | 4% |
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