Andre Johnson Jr.
American politician (born 1971)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Andre V. Johnson Jr. (born June 19, 1971)[1] is an American politician. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 34A in Harford County. He previously represented District A in the Harford County Council from 2018 to 2022.[2]
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Andre Johnson Jr. | |
|---|---|
Johnson in 2023 | |
| Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 34A district | |
| Assumed office January 11, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Mary Ann Lisanti |
| Member of the Harford County Council, District A | |
| In office December 4, 2018 – December 6, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Perrone, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Dion Guthrie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 19, 1971 Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Edgewood High School |
| Website | Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1998–2015 |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
Background
Johnson was born at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Edgewood, Maryland,[2] and attended Edgewood High School, graduating in 1990.[3] After graduating, he served in the United States Army as an armored crewman, and was deployed in Iraq. He retired from the Army in 2015 as a staff sergeant.[4] Johnson later worked as an investigator for the Baltimore Department of Housing and Community Development, and as a police officer for the Baltimore Police Department from 1997 to 1999.[2]
In 2018 Johnson ran for the Harford County Council in District A, seeking to succeed retiring county councilmember Mike Perrone.[3] He won the Democratic primary over former county councilmember Dion Guthrie by a margin of 199 votes out of 2,633 votes cast.[4] He won the general election on November 6, 2018, defeating Republican challenger Donna Blasdell and becoming the first Edgewood resident elected to the county council.[5]
Harford County Council
Johnson was sworn in to the Harford County Council on December 4, 2018.[6]
In February 2019, after it was reported that state delegate Mary Ann Lisanti had described a district in Prince George's County as a "n----- district" in a conversation with another legislator, Johnson said he wanted to hear Lisanti explain in her own words what transpired.[7] After speaking to Lisanti, he called on her to resign.[8]
In June 2021 Johnson announced that he would run for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 34A.[9] He won the Democratic primary on July 19, 2022,[10] and ran on a "Johnson & Johnson" ticket with incumbent Democratic state delegate Steven C. Johnson in the general election.[11] He won the general election on November 8, 2022, coming in first with 29.59 percent of the vote.[12]
In the legislature
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Johnson was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 11, 2023.[2] He is the first African American to represent Harford County in the Maryland General Assembly.[13] Johnson is a member of the House Economic Matters Committee.[14]
Political positions
Crime
In October 2019, following what police called a "targeted shooting" in Edgewood, Johnson called for increased community engagement and working closely with law enforcement to combat gang violence.[15]
Development initiatives
In April 2019 Johnson voted against a resolution to expand the Edgewood/Joppa Enterprise Zone to include land meant for a proposed Abingdon Business Park warehouse project, saying that while he supported the enterprise zone's expansion, he had concerns over the expansion's support for the proposed warehouse.[16] In July 2019, he attended a protest against the warehouse's construction.[17]
In February 2022 Johnson said he supported imposing a moratorium to block the proposed construction of a 5.2 million square foot "mega warehouse" on the Perryman Peninsula.[18] In April 2022, Johnson voted for a bill that would place a building development moratorium on the Perryman Peninsula.[19]
National politics
In January 2021 Johnson called on U.S. Representative Andy Harris to resign following his opposition to certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.[20] Harris responded to Johnson a few days later, calling Johnson's calls a "petty political machination" and attacking Johnson for failing to curb drug use and crime in his district. Johnson maintained that it was not a partisan issue and that Harris' response was dismissive of his point.[21]
Redistricting
In December 2021 Johnson voted against the Harford County Council's redistricting plan, which passed on a party-line vote of 6–1.[22] The redistricting map was vetoed by county executive Barry Glassman on December 28,[23] but the county council voted to override the veto on January 4, 2022, with Johnson again voting against the redistricting plan.[24]
Personal life
Johnson is married and has five children.[2]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andre V. Johnson | 1,416 | 53.8 | |
| Democratic | Dion F. Guthrie | 1,217 | 46.2 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andre V. Johnson | 8,156 | 56.2 | |
| Republican | Donna Blasdell | 6,339 | 43.7 | |
| Write-in | 16 | 0.1 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andre V. Johnson, Jr. | 4,619 | 42.8 | |
| Democratic | Steven C. Johnson (incumbent) | 3,486 | 32.3 | |
| Democratic | Sarahia Benn | 2,682 | 24.9 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andre V. Johnson, Jr. | 13,478 | 29.59 | |
| Democratic | Steven C. Johnson (incumbent) | 12,029 | 26.41 | |
| Republican | Glen Glass | 10,717 | 23.53 | |
| Republican | Teresa Walter | 9,248 | 20.31 | |
| Write-in | 72 | 0.16 | ||
Notes
- Not related to Steven C. Johnson
