La Tonya Johnson


LaTonya Johnson is an American activist and politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She serves in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing the seat formerly held by Nikiya Harris Dodd, having easily defeated her opponents in the Fall 2016 primary election, and being unopposed in the general election.

Background

Johnson was born June 22, 1972 in La Grange, Tennessee. She earned a B.S. degree in criminal justice from Tennessee State University, and has lived in Milwaukee for twenty-eight years. She owned and operated Anointed Child Care Service, an in-home daycare service, and served as president of Local 502 of AFSCME, the union which represents in-home daycare providers in Milwaukee County. She has one daughter, Sydney.

Nomination and election

Assembly

When Barbara Toles resigned from her Assembly District 17 seat, Johnson was one of four candidates who vied for the Democratic nomination in this recently redistricted inner city district. She achieved an easy plurality, with 43% of the vote, in a field which included a former Milwaukee Area Technical College Board member with UAW ties, and an aide to State Representative Elizabeth Coggs.
In the general election, she drew 20,262 votes, to 3564 for her sole opponent, banker Anthony Edwards.

Senate

In November 2016, Johnson was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate. She had easily defeated two opponents in the August Democratic primary, and was unopposed in the general election.