Ron Johnson Positive for COVID-19

Ron Johnson

Sen. Ron Johnson has tested positive for COVID-19.

A statement from the senator’s office Saturday morning said this was the second time in less than a month that Johnson was exposed to COVID-19.

On Sept. 14 Johnson was exposed to someone with the virus. He quarantined for 14 days and tested negative for the virus. Johnson was back in Washington on September 29, and shortly thereafter he was exposed again and caught the disease.

Johnson is the third Republican senator in a matter of days to test positive for COVID-19 after President Donald Trump announced that he had tested positive for the virus. Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis have both tested positive.

Along with the president, First Lady Melania Trump and a number of  other people in Trump’s orbit have tested positive. These include Trump’s senior counselor Hope Hicks, Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien, the President of the University of Notre Dame John I. Jenkins and R.N.C Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. And Saturday morning, the former governor of New Jersey and onetime presidential candidate Chris Christie announced he had tested positive for COVID-19.

It’s also been reported that three White House reporters have tested positive for COVID-19.

Johnson was not at the White House event Sunday when the president announced he was nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Though, a number of the people that have since tested positive were in attendance. As the statement noted, Johnson was still quarantining from his last exposure then.

In the statement, Johnson’s spokesperson Ben Voelkel said the senator “feels healthy and is not experiencing symptoms.” And he will isolate himself until his doctor says it is safe for him to come out.

Wisconsin State Rep. Scott Allen told the Waukesha Freeman on Friday that he tested positive for COVID-19.

Johnson Spoke At Republican Fundraiser

The night before Johnson announced he had tested positive, he was in Ozaukee speaking at a Republican fundraiser.

The event, held by the Republican Party of Ozaukee at the River Club of Mequon, had a guest list that included Rep. Glenn Grothman, State Senators Duey Stroebel and Alberta Darling, State Representatives Dan Knodl and Jim Ott and former Attorney General Brad Schimel.

Patrick Marley at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that Ott is currently quarantining.

WisPolitics reported that Strobel left the event before Johnson arrived and that Darling didn’t attend the event at all.