Mike Johanns

Mike Johanns
United States Senator from Nebraska
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Chuck Hagel
Succeeded by	Ben Sasse
28th United States Secretary of Agriculture
In office January 21, 2005 – September 20, 2007
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Ann Veneman
Succeeded by	Chuck Conner (Acting)
38th Governor of Nebraska
In office January 7, 1999 – January 20, 2005
Lieutenant	David Maurstad Dave Heineman
Preceded by	Ben Nelson
Succeeded by	Dave Heineman
47th Mayor of Lincoln
In office December 3, 1991 – January 7, 1999
Preceded by	Bill Harris
Succeeded by	Dale Young
Personal details
Born	Michael Owen Johanns (1950-06-18) June 18, 1950 Osage, Iowa, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (Before 1988) Republican (1988–present)
Alma mater	St. Mary's University, Minnesota Creighton University
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Michael Owen "Mike" Johanns (born June 18, 1950) is a former United States Senator from Nebraska, serving from 2009 to 2015. He served as the Governor of Nebraska from 1999 until 2005, and he was chair of the Midwestern Governors Association in 2002. In 2005, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the Secretary of Agriculture, where he served from 2005 from 2007, becoming the fourth Nebraskan to hold that position.

Born in Osage, Iowa, Johanns is the graduate of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and Creighton University School of Law. He began his career as an attorney working in private practice before he clerked for the Nebraska Supreme Court. Elected to the Lancaster County Board as a Democrat in 1983, Johanns served there until 1987, and was elected to the Lincoln City Council in 1988. In 1991, he was elected the 47th Mayor of Lincoln, and was reelected in 1995.

In Nebraska's 1998 gubernatorial election, Johanns defeated Democratic political aide Bill Hoppner and was reelected in 2002 defeating insurance executive Stormy Dean. In 2008, Johanns ran for the Republican nomination to replace retiring U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel. He won the Republican primary, defeating businessman Pat Flynn; and later won the general election, defeating Democratic challenger Scott Kleeb. He was sworn in on January 3, 2009; and along with Jim Risch of Idaho, he became only one of two new Republican senators sworn into the 111th United States Congress. On February 18, 2013, Johanns announced that he would not run for reelection to a second term in 2014.

Early life, education, and law career

Johanns was born in Osage, Iowa, the son of Adeline Lucy (née Royek) and John Robert Johanns. His father was of German and some Luxembourgian ancestry, and his maternal grandparents immigrated from Poland. He grew up living and working on his family's farm.

He graduated from Osage Community High School in 1968 and went on to study at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 1971. Johanns earned his Juris Doctor from Creighton University School of Law, and joined the Nebraska State Bar Association in 1974.

After his graduation, he clerked for Nebraska Supreme Court Judge Hale McCown from 1974 to 1975, before practicing law for Cronin and Hannon in O'Neill, Nebraska from 1975 to 1976. He was a partner at Nelson, Johanns, Morris, Holdeman, and Titus, a law firm he founded in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1976, where he practiced until 1991.

Early political career

Johanns served on the Lancaster County Board from 1983 to 1987 as a Democrat. In 1988, he was elected to the Lincoln City Council as a Republican where he served from 1989 to 1991. On May 7, 1991, he was elected the 47th Mayor of Lincoln, defeating incumbent Mayor Bill Harris, with 54% of the vote. He took office as Mayor on December 3, 1991. In 1995, Johanns won reelection with no opposition, becoming the first Mayor of Lincoln to do so since the 1950s. He was succeeded by Dale Young, who was appointed by the Lincoln City Council.

Governor of Nebraska

Elections

1998

Main article: Nebraska gubernatorial election, 1998

Johanns began an early start campaigning in Nebraska's 1998 gubernatorial election, holding his first campaign event in October 1995. The early start led to a slow, steady build-up in name recognition and organizational support, and an advantage of small donors over his Republican opponents; Nebraska State Auditor John Breslow, and U.S. Representative Jon Lynn Christensen. Johanns visited all of Nebraska's 93 counties, traveling over 100,000 miles. Christensen, a two-term representative who promised not to run more than three terms in the House, was seen as a surprise candidate in the gubernatorial election, as he had to give up his seat on the powerful House ways and Means Committee. Christensen (who saw backing from the christian right), and Breslow ran their campaigns on a staunch social conservative message and were seen as trying to "out conservative" and outdistance one another, while Johanns was seen as an attractive candidate for moderate voters.

Christensen was seen as the early front runner, though his lead dramatically fell in the final weeks after making public comments that he signed an affidavit after he and his wife divorced saying that her adultery broke up their marriage. He also saw backlash from comments he made about his second wife (Tara Dawn Holland, the 1996 and 1997 Miss America), that he got her to swear that she was a virgin that was "saving herself for marriage." His campaign also vigorously attacked Johanns in a flier for allowing "obscene and racist" broadcasts to air on Lincoln's public access cable channel. The broadcasts showed a man urinating in public, though Johanns tried to stop the program, the airing was protected by a federal lawsuit. The flier was condemned by republican members of Nebraska's congressional delegation, with then Senator Chuck Hagel saying that "Nobody in the Republican Party of Nebraska can be proud of Jon Christensen's conduct. I hope the people of the state will get out and vote and register their feelings on the conduct of this campaign." Hagel also added that his tactics "embarrassed Nebraska."

Though the race was seen as a "dead heat" the day before the primary, Johanns won with 40% of the vote, to Breslow's 29% and Christensen's 28%. The primary was seen as one of the most expensive in Nebraska history, with Breslow spending $3.8 million ($2.5 million of his own money), Christensen spending $1.8 million and Johanns spending $1.7 million.

Incumbent Governor Ben Nelson, a popular Democrat in the staunchly red state, was term limited after serving two terms as governor, leaving the Democratic field open. Democrat Bill Hoppner won the Democratic nomination, defeating lawyer and former member of the Nebraska Legislature Jim McFarland. Hoppner, an attorney who previously served as the Chief of Staff to Senators J. James Exon and Bob Kerrey, had never won an election before the democratic primary, though ran for governor and was defeated by Nelson in 1990.

On November 3, 1998, Johanns and his running mate David I. Maurstad, defeated Hoppner and his running mate Pam Bataillon in the general election, by a margin of 54% to 46%.

2002

Main article: Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2002

Johans won reelection in 2002 by a landslide, defeating Democrat Stormy Dean by a margin of 69% to 27%, thus becoming the first Republican governor of Nebraska to be reelected since Victor E. Anderson in 1956.

Tenure

During his first term, Johanns focused on direct property tax relief. Providing a total of $85 million in direct property tax relief.

Johanns was a supporter of Initiative 413, amending Nebraska's constitution to limit state government spending, and adjusting tax revenue increases to the rate of inflation. In 2002 Johanns signed legislation raising the states cigarette tax 50 cents per pack; from 34 to 84 cents. Johanns also proposed another 20 cents increase of cigarette taxes, saying that “I don’t think you’re going to get much debate that medical costs are higher when you smoke. Cigarette and tobacco use may be a choice, but every one of us pays for its use, either with our health or our pocketbooks, or both.”

Johanns led agriculture trade missions to Japan, China, Taiwan, Australia, South Korea and Brazil. He signed legislation increasing state gasoline taxes by 1.25 cents for ethanol incentive funding, raising $1.5 million annually for Nebraska's Ethanol Production Incentive Cash Fund. Johanns served as the chairman of Governors' Ethanol Coalition in 2001.

Johanns was known for his strong stance on vetoing bills. In 1999 Johanns vetoed 26 bills in only five days, more than any previous Governor in Nebraska history. In 2003 Johanns vetoed the entire $5.4 billion two-year Nebraska state budget. He said that he "could not accept a budget that raised taxes to grow government at a time when the state must cut spending," and called for a nearly 10% cut in every state government program. Johanns vetoed legislation increasing the pay of members of the Nebraska Legislature, though the veto was overridden by the legislature; he also vetoed legislation authorizing teacher salary increases.

During the 1999 legislative session, the Nebraska Legislature passed a moratorium of executions in a 27 to 21 vote, becoming the first state in the nation to send such a proposal to the governor's desk. The bill set bans on all executions for two years, while a study to see if the death penalty was being applied fairly in the state took place. Though the bill prevented executions from taking place, it did not exempt the sentencing of the death penalty in new cases. Johanns, who is a proponent of the capital punishment, vetoed the bill a week after its passage; calling the bill "poor public policy" that would "at a minimum be utilized to advance further unnecessary criminal appeals by those currently sentenced to death row in Nebraska." The veto of the bill was condemned by the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Bar Association and Pope John Paul II.

In 1999, Johanns saw criticism from the groups People For the American Way and the American Civil Liberties Union for signing a proclamation declaring May 22, "March for Jesus Day," in honor of a fundamentalist Christian group in Nebraska. Critiques said that Johanns was "violating the neutrality of religions that is required of his office. He was endorsing Christianity over all other religions, sending an impermissible message to Nebraskans of other faiths or of no faith that their beliefs are disfavored by the Government." Johanns also endorsed "Back to the Bible Day," though he refused to issue a proclamation for Earth Religion Awareness Day, a day requested by Wicca groups. Johanns said that "I wouldn't hesitate to sign a proclamation for the Jewish faith, Hinduism, whatever. So long as it doesn't require me to sign something I personally don't agree with."

Johans twice served as the chair of the National Governors Association's Committee on Economic Development and Commerce from 2000 to 2001 and from 2002 to 2003. In July 2001, he was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States to serve on the banks Advisory Committee, and in 2003 served as the chairman of the Governor’s Biotechnology Partnership.

Johanns succeeded Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack as chair of the Midwestern Governors Association in 2002.

United States Secretary of Agriculture

On December 2, 2004, Johanns was nominated by President George W. Bush to replace outgoing Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman. As a result, he scrapped plans to run against Democratic Senator Ben Nelson in Nebraska's 2006 Senate Election. At his announcement to nominate Johanns as agriculture secretary, President Bush explained that he chose him to replace Veneman for his support of ethanol and biodiesel and for his knowledge in foreign trade; calling him "a man of action and of complete integrity." Johanns was confirmed in a voice vote by the Senate on January 20, 2005, hours after Bush's second inauguration. He tendered his resignation as Governor of Nebraska on that day, and was sworn in the next day.

The Department of Agriculture under Johanns received criticism for being too slow to perform additional tests on cows suspected of having mad cow disease.

U.S. Senate

2008 election

Main article: United States Senate election in Nebraska, 2008

On September 20, 2007, Johanns resigned as the Secretary of Agriculture and announced on October 10, 2007 that he would run for the United States Senate seat vacated by Senator Chuck Hagel. On November 4, 2008, he was elected to the United States Senate, defeating Democratic nominee Scott Kleeb in the general election.

Tenure

Johanns' time in the Senate was low-key: he has never appeared on one of the Sunday morning talk shows. He voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and opposed cap-and-trade legislation. He was a member of the "Gang of Eight" that tried to negotiate a federal deficit reduction deal in 2011 and was pivotal in re-routing the proposed route of the Keystone Pipeline.

Johanns received an award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for his work to support funding for autoimmune disease research.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
  • Subcommittee on Energy, Science and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant and Animal Health (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Production, Income Protection and Price Support
• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions
  • Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
  • Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment, Ranking Member
• Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
  • Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
  • Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion
  • Subcommittee on Science and Space
  • Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• Committee on Indian Affairs
• Impeachment Trial Committee on the Articles against Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr.

Caucus memberships

• International Conservation Caucus
• Parkinson’s Disease Caucus (Co-Chair)
• Sportsmen's Caucus

Personal life

Johanns married his first wife, Connie Johanns, in 1972. They had two children together: a son, Justin and a daughter, Michaela. He also has five grandchildren. Johanns and his wife divorced in 1985, and he later married Stephanie Armitage in 1986; a former Lancaster county Commissioner and Nebraska state senator.

External links

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• White House biography (archived)
• USDA biography
• Mike Johanns at DMOZ

Political offices
Preceded by Bill Harris	Mayor of Lincoln 1991–1999	Succeeded by Dale Young
Preceded by Ben Nelson	Governor of Nebraska 1999–2005	Succeeded by Dave Heineman
Preceded by Ann Veneman	United States Secretary of Agriculture 2005–2007	Succeeded by Chuck Conner Acting
Party political offices
Preceded by Gene Spence	Republican nominee for Governor of Nebraska 1998, 2002	Succeeded by Dave Heineman
Preceded by Chuck Hagel	Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Nebraska (Class 2) 2008	Succeeded by Ben Sasse
United States Senate
Preceded by Chuck Hagel	U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Nebraska 2009–2015 Served alongside: Ben Nelson, Deb Fischer	Succeeded by Ben Sasse