Tim Johnson (U.S. Senator)

This article is about the Senator from South Dakota. For the Congressman from Illinois, see Timothy Johnson (U.S. Representative). For other names, see Timothy Johnson (disambiguation).

Tim Johnson
United States Senator from South Dakota
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1997 Serving with John Thune
Preceded by	Larry Pressler
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Chris Dodd
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota's At-Large district
In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by	Tom Daschle
Succeeded by	John Thune
South Dakota State Senator
In office 1983–1987
Member of the South Dakota House of Representatives
In office 1979–1983
Personal details
Born	Timothy Peter Johnson (1946-12-28) December 28, 1946 Canton, South Dakota
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Barbara Brooks
Residence	Vermillion, South Dakota
Alma mater	University of South Dakota (B.A., M.A., J.D.)
Occupation	Attorney
Religion	Lutheran
Website	www.johnson.senate.gov

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 South Dakota's at-large congressional district from 1987 to 1997, and in the state legislature from 1979 to 1987. Johnson will retire in 2014.

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.

Early political career

Johnson served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1979 to 1982 and in the South Dakota Senate from 1983 to 1986. Johnson served as Clay County deputy state's attorney in 1985 during his tenure in the South Dakota Senate.

Johnson was elected to the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota's at-large congressional district in 1986. During his first term, he introduced more legislation than any other freshman member of the House. Between 1991 and 1994, he served as a regional whip for the Democratic Party. He left the House in 1997, when he took up his newly acquired Senate seat.

United States Senate

Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
  • Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs, and Related Agencies (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions
  • Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
  • Subcommittee on Water and Power
• Committee on Indian Affairs

Political positions

Sen. Johnson (second from right) answers questions after he helped prevent the closure of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. Left to right: Governor M. Michael Rounds, Rep. Stephanie Herseth, Johnson and Sen. John Thune.

While in the House, Johnson was among the minority of his party to vote in favor of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 – a welfare reform bill – and another bill to repeal the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. He was among the minority of Democrats to vote for President George W. Bush's 2001 tax cut. On January 31, 2006, Johnson was one of only four Democrats to vote to confirm Judge Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. He has also called for "broadened use" of the death penalty.

Johnson was, however, among the minority of senators to vote against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which was strongly supported by pro-life groups. While a member of the House, he was one of only 16 congressmen to vote against the Telecom Act of 1996, which provided for deregulation and competition in the communication sector and was given firm support by Republicans, business groups, and most Democrats.

In May 2007, Johnson received an Honored Cooperator award from the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) for his support of cooperative businesses.

Paul Hazen, NCBA president, made the presentation to Johnson’s staff at the NCBA annual meeting in Arlington, Virginia. Hazen praised Johnson for consistently supporting the Rural Cooperative Development Grants (RCDG) program which, typically funded at $6 million annually, is the only federal grants program devoted solely to forming and expanding co-ops.

Johnson supported President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009, and he voted for the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

In May 2010, Johnson introduced the Tony Dean Cheyenne River Valley Conservation Act of 2010, a bill that would designate over 48,000 acres (190 km²) of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland as protected wilderness. The act would allow the continuation of grazing and hunting on the land and would create the first national grassland wilderness in the country.

On December 18, 2010, Johnson voted in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.

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. 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.

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

See also: United States Senate election in South Dakota, 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.

Electoral history

South Dakota's at-large congressional district: Results 1986–1994

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct		3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct		3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct
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%		Don Frankenfeld	83,484	32%
1992		Tim Johnson	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%

*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1992, Ann Balakier received 2,780 votes.

South Dakota Senator (Class II): Results 1996–2008

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct		3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct
1996		Tim Johnson	166,533	51%		Larry Pressler	157,954	49%
2002		Tim Johnson	167,481	50%		John Thune	166,949	49%		Kurt Evans	Libertarian	3,071	1%
2008		Tim Johnson	237,866	62.5%		Joel Dykstra	142,778	37.5%

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.

External links

• U.S. Senator Tim Johnson official Senate site
• Tim Johnson for South Dakota official campaign site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Biography at Ballotpedia
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at Roll Call
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Voting record at The Washington Post
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
• Profile at SourceWatch

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Tom Daschle	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota's at-large congressional district 1987 – January 7, 1997	Succeeded by John Thune
United States Senate
Preceded by Larry Pressler	United States Senator (Class 2) from South Dakota January 7, 1997 – present Served alongside: Tom Daschle, John Thune	Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Dick Durbin D-Illinois	United States Senators by seniority 21st	Succeeded by Jack Reed D-Rhode Island