In the 2010 United States House of Representatives elections, Johnson defeated incumbent U.S. representative Charlie Wilson by a margin of 5%. He was reelected to the position six times. In November 2023, the Board of Trustees at Youngstown State University offered him the position of president. Johnson accepted and resigned from Congress in January 2024 to become the 10th president of the university.
Early life and business career
William Leslie Johnson was born on November 10, 1954, in Roseboro, North Carolina.[3] After graduating from S.D. Lee High School in Columbus, Mississippi, he entered the United States Air Force in 1973.[4] Johnson graduated summa cum laude from Troy University in 1979 and from Georgia Tech in 1984 with a master's degree.[5][6] During his tenure in the U.S. Air Force, Johnson was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate from the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Squadron Officers School, and Air Command & Staff College.[7] He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after a military career of more than 26 years.[8]
After his service in the military, he co-founded Johnson-Schley Management Group, an information technology (IT) consulting company that increased revenues by more than 200% in three years under his leadership. In 2003, he left the company to form J2 Business Solutions, where he provided executive-level IT support as a defense contractor to the U.S. military. From 2006 to 2010, he served as chief information officer of a global manufacturer of electronic components for the transportation industry.[2]
In May 2010, Johnson defeated two primary opponents to win the Republican nomination.[9] In the general election, he defeated incumbent Charlie Wilson, 50%–45%.[10] He began his term in the 112th United States Congress on January 3, 2011.
In November 2011, Wilson filed for a rematch in the newly redrawn 6th District, which had been made slightly friendlier to Republicans in redistricting.[11] Johnson defeated Wilson again in a heavily contested race, 53% to 47%, and began his second term in January 2013.[citation needed]
In 2014, Johnson faced Democratic nominee Jennifer Garrison, a former State Representative and lawyer from Marietta, Ohio.[12] Johnson defeated Garrison, 58% to 39%, with Green Party candidate Dennis Lambert taking 3%. He began his third term in January 2015.[citation needed]
The House also passed Johnson's Stop the War on Coal Act, which would stop the creation of any new rules that threaten mining jobs.[15] Both pieces of legislation have been sent to the Senate for consideration. Johnson sponsored H.R. 4036, the Pass a Budget Now Act, which would cut legislators' pay if a budget is not passed by April 15 of each year.[16]
Resignation and move to Youngstown State University
On November 16, 2023, the Board of Trustees at Youngstown State University offered Johnson the position of president of the university, which Johnson accepted.[17] His appointment was met with protests over his record as an election denier, his support for Trump's so-called "Muslim ban," and his opposition to LGBT rights, as well as the lack of transparency of the hiring process.[18] Johnson resigned from the House effective January 21, 2024, and assumed the presidency at Youngstown State the following day.[19][1]
Johnson called the EPA's ruling "absurd" and said that "it is unconscionable that the EPA has put our public safety at risk because during the hot summer months sometimes, somewhere kids may play in fire hydrant water."[28]
Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America (H.R. 2824; 113th Congress) – Johnson introduced this bill into the House on July 25, 2013.[29] If passed, the bill would have amended the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to require state programs for regulation of surface coal mining to incorporate the necessary rule concerning excess spoil, coal mine waste, and buffers for perennial and intermittent streams published by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement on December 12, 2008.[30] Supporters of the bill argued that it would be good for jobs, save the government money, and improve U.S. energy production by preventing the Obama administration from introducing more coal regulations.[31] Opponents described it as a bill that would require "OSM to implement the flawed 2008 Stream Buffer Zone rule and prevent the agency from improving that rule for a minimum of seven years".[32]
Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014 (H.R. 3548; 113th Congress) – Johnson introduced this bill into the House on November 20, 2013.[33] It would amend the Public Health Service Act, with respect to trauma care and research programs, to include in the definition of "trauma" an injury resulting from extrinsic agents other than mechanical force, including those that are thermal, electrical, chemical, or radioactive.[33]
Political positions
During the presidency of Donald Trump, Johnson voted in line with Trump's stated position 96.8% of the time.[34] As of September 2021, Johnson had voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 13.9% of the time.[35]
Race relations
As protesters called for the removal of statues deemed racist, Johnson authored an opinion piece for The Washington Examiner titled "Our History Can Safeguard our Future". In his piece, Johnson opposed the toppling of statues, writing, "To really unify our country, we must pause and consider our history to provide context for our current national dialogue. We need to step out from behind our keyboards and learn more of the nuance of our shared heritage."[36]
Abortion
In a candidates' questionnaire in 2010, Johnson wrote, "I am pro-life, and I oppose abortion except in the case of rape, incest, and when the mother's life is in danger. Additionally, I support parental notification and a ban on partial birth abortions." During his 2010 and 2012 campaigns, Johnson was endorsed by the Ohio Right to Life PAC.[37]
Environmental issues
At a 2016 House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Environmental Protection Agency regulations, Johnson called the agency "un-American" and accused it of "draining the lifeblood out of our businesses". His remarks prompted criticism from Democratic members of the committee.[38]
Johnson was briefly criticized on an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver for asking a Department of Energy representative about the financial return on investment regarding the Clean Future Act, which host John Oliver compared to asking about the financial return on investment of a fire department.[39][40]
From the beginning,[44] Johnson supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, characterizing it as necessary to prevent terrorist attacks.[45] After the federal courts struck down the initial executive order, Johnson supported a replacement executive order imposing a revised travel ban.[44]
Same-sex marriage
Johnson opposes the legalization of same-sex marriage, saying that it "undermines the integrity of the American family".[46]
Trump administration
On December 18, 2019, Johnson held a moment of silence to remember Trump voters during House debates on articles of impeachment, saying, "This is a sad day for America. This partisan impeachment sham seeks to disenfranchise 63 million American voters... So I want to use my time to call on this chamber, for members to rise and observe a moment of silent reflection, to give every member here the chance to pause for a moment and remember the voices of the 63 million American voters the Democrats today are wanting to silence."[47]
In April 2018, Johnson defended EPA head Scott Pruitt, who was embroiled in a number of investigations over ethics violations.[48] While Pruitt was being grilled, largely along party lines, during an April 2018 hearing about the ethics concerns, Johnson said, "I think it's shameful today that this hearing has turned into a personal attack hearing and a shameful attempt to denigrate the work that's being done at the EPA and with this administration". Public officials should have ethical standards "beyond reproach ... but so should members of Congress", he added.[48][49]
