This is a rare open state Senate seat, the result of Sen. Nikiya Harris Dodd’s decision to leave office at the end of her term. Of the three candidates on the Democratic primary ballot, we support state Rep. LaTonya Johnson for Senate District 6, which includes the heart of Milwaukee. Johnson, who currently represents Assembly District 17 and has received Dodd’s endorsement, has the experience and progressive values that this district needs in a strong leader. No Republicans have jumped into this race.
Johnson was born in a small town in Tennessee and moved to Milwaukee when she was a child. In Milwaukee she lived in a home with running water for the first time. After graduating from Bay View High School and Tennessee State University with a degree in criminal justice, Johnson became a childcare provider and small business owner and established the city’s first childcare employee union. She was elected to the Assembly in 2012 and has co-authored nine pieces of legislation that became law—and unusual feat for a Democrat in the Republican-dominated Legislature. Johnson specifically focused on bills addressing vulnerable women and children as well as a sensible gun regulation measure targeting felons carrying firearms. She’d like to build on those accomplishments in the state Senate and we think she can craft coalitions to get even more legislation passed in the next session.
Senate District 6 would be well represented by Rep. LaTonya Johnson. Support her in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, Aug. 9.
