Who is Ron Johnson?

Ron Johnson’s final appeal to Wisconsin GOP voters emphasized ethnic tensions. Last week, Senator Ron Johnson related a story about a truck driver who got stuck while navigating a challenging road as he made his final appeal to voters in western Wisconsin.

The senator claimed that when travelling through Portage, he came upon a traffic jam brought on by the stationary truck. Normally irritated, Johnson claimed he was not in this situation because he saw something “heartwarming”, the residents of the little town in central Wisconsin went into action to assist the truck driver in getting moving again.

He ended his speech saying, “You know, one little point really — really doesn’t factor in the story at all. But the driver was an African American gentleman. So now why would I add that little detail? I happen to be running against Mandela Barnes.”

Who is Ron Johnson? 

Ron Johnson, 65, who currently serves as a Senator from the state of Wisconsin, rose through the ranks in American politics and has expanded his stronghold in the GOP while gaining influence in the upper house of US governance. He is known to be bold and controversial with his statements.

In 1977, Johnson graduated from the University of Minnesota and pursued a BSB-Accounting degree. Before becoming a part of the American political realm, he invested in a business with his brother-in-law. The company, called PACUR, manufactured plastic sheets which were used for printing and packaging purposes. Johnson still holds a part of the company but has his focus diverted towards his job as an American lawmaker. He currently resides in Oshkosh, Wisconsin with his wife, according to his website.  

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Johnson’s career as a politician took off in 2015 when he started serving as the Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In addition to this, he also is a part of the Science and Transportation, Budget, Commerce and Foreign Relations committees. 

Johnson is the only GOP member in the state of Wisconsin who holds a statewide office and is known to face constant challenges from the Democratic leaders in the state which witnessed a cut-throat competition in the US Presidential elections, where US President Joe Biden triumphed over former US President Donald Trump with a slim margin, reported CNN. 

Johnson has won two state elections till now in the state of Wisconsin in 2010 and 2016 beating Democratic Senator Russ Feingold. The Republican leader will be up for re-election in 2022, however, his candidacy is still under question as he remains undecided about his future. 

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While running for the elections in 2016, Johnson announced that this would be his last term which followed up by his wife, who in 2019 said that she would prefer if Johnson retired after his term ends. 

Johnson later backtracked on his decision and decided to run for a third term.

Sen. Ron Johnson has an estimated net worth of $78 million.