Reports Say Ron Johnson To Seek Reelection
Republican had promised in 2016 not to seek a third term.
Ron Johnson. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who once vowed he’d leave office after two terms, is reportedly poised to announce a third-term bid.
Milwaukee television newsman Matt Smith of WISN Channel 12 tweeted Friday, “A Republican source tells @WISN12News Sen. Ron Johnson will seek re-election and is expected to make his official announcement in the coming days.”
The possibility has been in the air for months that Johnson would go back on his self-imposed term-limit pledge, which he made during his 2016 re-election campaign. In the last several months Johnson himself has hinted he might run again.
WisPolitics.com described him as “one of the most vulnerable members of the U.S. Senate,” and Johnson has been especially polarizing among political activists. Statements and comments he has made minimizing COVID-19, casting doubt on COVID-19 vaccines, hinting at unsubstantiated claims of irregularities in the 2020 presidential election and more have drawn widespread criticism. This week alone, Johnson’s statements on a talk radio show suggesting, in defiance of all scientific evidence, that surviving COVID-19 would confer greater immunity than a vaccine, was denounced by health care activists.
In repeated Marquette Law School polls, as many as one-third of those responding have said they don’t know enough about him to have an opinion of Johnson. In the poll’s August 2021 report, however, Johnson’s favorability was under water (42% viewed him unfavorably, 35% favorably) while the “no opinion” column had dropped to 23%.
Over the course of the last year, a small army of Democrats lined up to run for the seat, most of them focusing their early campaign messages on the assumption that he would be the likely GOP standard-bearer.
“Wisconsin voters will relish the opportunity to fire Ron Johnson, who has used his senatorial power to enrich himself and his wealthiest donors at the expense of the middle class,” said Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler in a statement.
Johnson was first elected in 2010, when he unseated Democrat Russ Feingold in what turned out to be a landmark Republican year and retained the seat in a rematch with Feingold in 2016.
Reports say Johnson will seek third Senate term was originally published by the Wisconsin Examiner.
Not much suspense. Seems to me there was some kind of pledge to not serve more than two terms. But, that would require some intellectual honesty which has gone out of fashion.
Seriously. What would possess anyone to vote for such a sh1thead?
I think Johnson’s running will greatly improve the Democrat’s chance of gaining this seat. He has been so bizarre that there are numerous video clips in the public domain that documents his disturbance that will work nicely for the opponents campaign commercial. I
If Alex Lasry or Sarah Godlewski becomes the Democratic nominee, I will work 24 hours a day for Ron Johnson. I’ll contribute a thick wad of cash to Johnson’s campaign. I’ll put a Ron Johnson sign on my front lawn. And I will vote for a Republican for the first time in my life.
Lasry and Godlewski are owned by Goldman Sachs, Wall Street, and the people who never stop dragging us into never ending wars.