Former President Donald Trump spoke at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Saturday night to endorse Republican Senate Candidate J.D. Vance, with less than 50 days until the November midterm elections.

J.D. Vance, a Republican Senate candidate running against Democrat Tim Ryan in a race that could evaluate which political party controls the Senate next year, was one of the guest speakers.

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Bill Johnson, US representative for Ohio’s 6th congressional district since 2011 and a long-time friend of Trump, was also present at the rally.

Who is Bill Johnson?

William Leslie “Bill” Johnson, born on November 10, 1954, is an American businessman and politician who has served as the 6th congressional district of Ohio’s representative since 2011. He belongs to the Republican Party.

Johnson grew up on family farms in Roseboro, North Carolina, where he was born in 1954. In 1973, he joined the United States Air Force, and on April 30, 1975, he married Wanda Florence Porter. They had three kids.

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After more than 26 years in the military, he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He received his bachelor’s degree from Troy University in 1979 and his master’s degree from Georgia Tech in 1984. Johnson was named a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Squadron Officers School, and Air Command & Staff College during his time in the service.

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Johnson has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal. He dealt closely with senior congressional and Secretary of Defense representatives, along with top leaders of the various U.S. intelligence communities, as Director of the Air Force’s Chief Information Officer Staff at US Special Operations Command, to guarantee America’s Special Operations forces were sufficiently equipped to carry out vital national security missions.

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Under his management, Johnson-Schley Management Group, an information technology (IT) consulting firm, increased revenues by more than 200% in three years. He left the company in 2003 to found J2 Business Solutions, where he offered executive-level IT assistance to the US military as a defence contractor. He was the chief information officer of a global manufacturer of electronic components for the transportation industry from 2006 to 2010.