Jesse Johnson (politician)

Jesse Johnson
Born Jesse C. Johnson, Jr.
(1959-03-02) March 2, 1959
Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.
Alma mater Marshall University
North Carolina School of the Arts
University of Charleston
West Liberty University
Political party Mountain Party

Jesse C. Johnson, Jr. (born March 2, 1959) has been an Executive Committee member and former Chair and Vice Chair of the Mountain Party, the West Virginia affiliate of the Green Party of the United States. He has three times been his party's nominee for Governor of West Virginia, and twice for West Virginia's Class 1 U.S. Senate seat, running in 2006 and again in the special election in 2010. Johnson lost both times to the Democratic Party nominee. He has also been a filmmaker, actor, and theatrical producer.[1]

Biography

Born in Charleston, West Virginia, Johnson attended, at various times, Marshall University, North Carolina School of the Arts, the University of Charleston, and West Liberty University. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Actor's Equity, AFTRA, and SAG's Native American Registry and has worked with both the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America.

In 2004, Johnson ran as the Mountain Party Nominee for Governor in order to maintain the newly-won ballot line and to bring the issue of mountain top removal to statewide attention. Despite having no corporate financial support, he received 18,430 votes (2.48%). In 2006, he ran a principled campaign fighting corporate influence in the electoral process. Johnson neither took nor spent money, focusing on the need for campaign finance reform as the party's nominee for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Johnson received 1.9% of the vote, running against favored Senator Byrd.

In 2007, seeking to bring national attention to mountain top removal, Johnson presided as State Chair over the Mountain Party's affiliation with the national Green Party[2] Johnson was solicited by members of the Greens to run for the party's nomination for President. He received the endorsement of former United States Senator and former 2008 presidential candidate Mike Gravel, among others.[3] At the 2008 Green National Convention, on July 10–14, 2008, the nomination was won by former Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.[4] While Johnson failed to secure the nomination, he succeeded in focusing attention on the environmental concerns of mountain top removal and the preservation of Blair Mountain occurring in his state.

In 2008, he once again ran for Governor. His campaign was endorsed by the Sierra Club and the Citizens Action Committee.[5] He received 21,472 votes (3.99% of the vote).[6]

In the 2010 special election for the late Robert Byrd's Senate seat in West Virginia, his opponents were Joe Manchin, the Democratic Party nominee, who won the seat, John Raese, the Republican Party nominee, and Jeff Becker, the Constitution Party nominee. Johnson was endorsed by former Democratic Congressman Ken Hechler to fill the seat.[7]

Johnson was again a nominee for the West Virginia Governor's race in 2012, facing three other ballot-qualified challengers. Again spending no money and focused on the party, he finished third in a field of four.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Jesse Johnson - WV Mountain Party
  2. ↑ "Jesse Johnson, Green Party US Candidate for President ", Polidoc Productions, YouTube.
  3. ↑ Committee to Elect Jesse Johnson
  4. ↑ 2008 presidential ballots, Green Party, archived at the Wayback Machine, November 26, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Sierra Club endorses Jesse Johnson for WV Governor", Green Party Watch, October 6, 2008.
  6. ↑ Statewide Results, West Virginia Secretary of State Election Results Center, archived at the Wayback Machine, November 26, 2008.
  7. ↑ Associated Press, "Hechler endorses Johnson in W.Va. senate race", Marietta Times, September 9, 2010, at Green Senatorial Campaign Committee, archived at the Wayback Machine, July 26, 2011.
  8. ↑ WV Governor, Our Campaigns, retrieved July 11, 2016.

External links

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