Tim Johnson (politician)

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Tim Johnson
Senior Senator from South Dakota
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 7, 1997– Serving with John Thune
Preceded by	Larry Pressler
Born	December 28, 1946 (age 60) Canton, South Dakota
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Barbara Brooks
Profession	Attorney
Religion	Lutheran

Timothy Peter Johnson (born December 28, 1946) is the senior United States Senator from South Dakota, and a member of the Democratic Party.

Johnson was born in Canton, South Dakota to Ruth Jorinda Ljostveit and Vandel Charles Johnson.^[1] He was 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 1970-71, he earned his J.D. from the University of South Dakota in 1975. He served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1979-82 and in the South Dakota Senate from 1983-86. He served in the United States House of Representatives, representing South Dakota at-large, from 1987-97.

[edit] United States Senate elections

Johnson 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 which 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. His close margin of victory was made possible by final returns from Shannon County on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which reported twice the turnout of the previous election and 92% votes for Johnson. His 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 Johnson's 2002 opponent.

In spite of his recent illness (see "Health" section below), Johnson's chief of staff has announced they hired leading political strategist Steve Jarding for Johnson's re-election campaign for the 2008 Senate election.^[2]

[edit] United States Senate

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, he 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 ban on semiautomatic weapons. He was among the minority of Democrats to vote for 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.^[3]

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.

His elder son, Brooks, serves in the U.S. Army, making him the only Senator with a child in the U.S. Armed Forces when America invaded Iraq. Michael Moore stated in his film Fahrenheit 9/11 that only one member of the Senate had a son serving in the military; Moore was referring to Johnson, although he didn't mention his name. He and his wife Barbara, a professional social worker, have another son, Brendan, and a daughter, Kelsey.

[edit] Health

Senator Johnson was treated for prostate cancer in 2004 and further tests showed that he was clear of the disease.^[4][5]

In Washington, D.C., on December 13, 2006, during the broadcast of a live radio interview with WNAX radio in Yankton, South Dakota, Johnson suffered bleeding in the brain caused by cerebral arteriovenous malformation, a congenital problem that causes enlarged and tangled blood vessels. He underwent successful surgery at George Washington University Hospital to drain the blood and stop further bleeding.^[6] As of January 19, 2007, Johnson was undergoing physical occupational and speech therapy every day for three hours. This included strengthening exercises to gain mobility and work with parallel bars. His recovery was expected to take "several months."^[7] In his 2007 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush wished Johnson well.^[8] On February 10, it was reported that Senator Johnson is reading news clippings and starting to do some office work from the hospital. "At this point, he has requested more contact with office and is looking for updates from staff," a member of his staff said in a statement. ^[9] On February 15, Johnson co-sponsored his first piece of legislation since his hospitalization, the Emergency Farm Relief Act of 2007.^[10] On February 20, he left the hospital and moved to a private facility.^[11][12] On March 13, 2007 Johnson issued his first public statement, "I want to thank the people of South Dakota and all of our dear friends for their support and prayers. This has been an unexpected journey and there is a long road in front of me. I am determined and focused on my recovery, and I look forward to returning to the Senate on behalf of South Dakota."^[13]

Senate precedent has seen members serve despite disabling physical illness. Several senators, including Karl Mundt (R-SD), have served out terms while disabled.^[14] Others have requested leaves for surgery or illness, which have been granted by the Senate, and the members returned after recovery. In one often-cited instance of a Senator serving despite disability, in 1964 Senator Clair Engle (D-CA), who was suffering from brain cancer, was wheeled into the Senate and pointed to his eye, signifying his vote to end a filibuster against the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964^[15] ("eye" is a homophone with "aye", the term used in Congress to signify an affirming vote).

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• United States Senator Tim Johnson official Senate site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission - Tim Johnson campaign finance reports and data
• New York Times - Tim Johnson News collected news and commentary
• Tim Johnson at the Notable Names Database
• On the Issues - Tim Johnson issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org - Tim Johnson campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Tim Johnson (SD) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - Tim P. Johnson profile
• Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Tim Johnson voting record
• Tim Johnson for South Dakota official campaign site