Running against Republican Maureen O'Connell, Johnson, a Democrat, won last night with 54 percent of the vote in a special election to replace Republican senator Michael Balboni. Balboni vacated his seat to serve as New York's Governor Eliot Spitzer's chief of homeland security.
Johnson graduated from the College magna cum laude and went on to receive his Juris Doctor degree in 1996 from St. John's University. He graduated in the top seven percent of his class.
After graduation, Johnson began his legal career in New York City as an associate at the law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher, working in its Bankruptcy and Business Reorganization Group.
Johnson joined Reisman, Peirez & Reisman in March 2001. Today, he serves as Counsel with the law firm of Jaspan Schlesinger Hoffman LLP.
Johnson entered politics in May of 2000 when he was elected to 11th Legislative District in the Nassau County Legislature after the incumbent Barbara Johnson, his mother, died of breast cancer. He was re-elected in 2001 and 2003. In his 2005 re-election, he received 73 percent of the votes.
Entering the legislature at a time of fiscal crisis, Johnson, together with Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, is credited with bringing Nassau County back to financial health.
In recognition of his efforts, he was appointed chairman of the Finance Committee in Jan. 2004. He is the youngest legislator ever to be named chairman of the committee, and is responsible for the oversight and legislative supervision of Nassau County's $2.2 billion budget.
In addition to his work on the committee, Johnson also serves as vice chairman of the Legislative Budget Review Committee and has a seat on Economic & Community Development and Labor; Public Safety; Government Services & Operations; and Towns, Villages and Cities committees. Given his experience, talent and reputation, Johnson was a candidate with a lot of support and a solid record. "He knows how to campaign, voters are used to voting for him and he has an excellent record in the Legislature," said Jay Jacobs, chairman of the Nassau County Democrats.
The special election and the campaigns of the two candidates were the center of a substantial amount of media coverage and political attention, due to the expenses incurred and intensity of the contest. With over $5 million spent by the candidates and their respective party committees, the race was the most expensive in the state's history for a legislative seat. The previous record was $4.7 million in 2002 in a Senate contest between Andrew S. Eristoff and Liz Frueger.
Over the period of a month, nearly $200,000 a day was spent in mailings and TV and radio commercials. Near the end of the race, Hillary Clinton and Rudolph Giuliani, two potential presidential candidates, threw in their support to their respective party nominees.
The campaigns were primarily negative; each candidate accused the other of supporting an increase in taxes. Both parties claimed that the other was employing underhanded tactics. The Democrats complained that several unauthorized late-night calls were made in Johnson's name to annoy people. O'Connell claimed that the same tactic was used against her.
The tactics employed and expenses incurred by the respective parties are justified insofar as this race is viewed as a proxy fight between Gov. Spitzer and the Republican-dominated Senate.
Prior to last fall's election, Republicans held 38 out of 62 seats in the Senate. Prior to last night, they held 34 seats. By appointing Senator Balboni as his chief of homeland security, Gov. Spitzer created the opportunity, intentionally or not, for the Democrats to capture another seat.
With Johnson's victory, the Democrats only need to win two more seats in the 2008 election to tie the Republicans, which would give the deciding vote to Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson, a Democrat.