Jim Johnson (New Jersey)

Jim Johnson

Democratic Party

Education

Bachelor's

Harvard University

Law

Harvard University

Contact

Personal website

---

Jim Johnson was a 2017 Democratic candidate for Governor of New Jersey. He was defeated in the primary election on June 6, 2017.

Biography

A native of Montclair, NJ, Johnson earned his bachelor's and law degrees from Harvard University. After graduating from law school, Johnson worked as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. During the Clinton Administration, Johnson held a series of posts within the Treasury Department, including Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement. After 2001, Johnson left office and joined the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton as a partner. Johnson has served as co-chair of the National Church Arson Task Force and as chair of the Brennan Center for Justice and the New Jersey Advisory Committee on Police Standards.

Education

• B.A. - Harvard University
• J.D. - Harvard University

Elections

2017

See also: New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2017

New Jersey held an election for governor and lieutenant governor on November 7, 2017. Governor Chris Christie (R) was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election. New Jersey elects its governor and lieutenant governor together on a joint ticket.

The general election took place on November 7, 2017. The primary election was held on June 6, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in the primary election was April 3, 2017.

The following candidates ran in the election for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey.

New Jersey Gubernatorial and Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Phil Murphy/Sheila Oliver	56.03%	1,203,110
	Republican	Kim Guadagno/Carlos Rendo	41.89%	899,583
	Independent	Gina Genovese/Derel Stroud	0.57%	12,294
	Libertarian	Peter Rohrman/Karese Laguerre	0.49%	10,531
	Green	Seth Kaper-Dale/Lisa Durden	0.47%	10,053
	Constitution	Matt Riccardi	0.32%	6,864
	Independent	Vincent Ross/April Johnson	0.23%	4,980
Total Votes (6385/6385 precincts reporting)				2,147,415
Source: New Jersey Division of Elections

Kim Guadagno defeated Jack Ciattarelli, Hirsh Singh, Joseph Rudy Rullo, and Steve Rogers in the Republican primary.

New Jersey Republican Gubernatorial Primary, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Kim Guadagno	46.82%	113,846
Jack Ciattarelli	31.08%	75,556
Hirsh Singh	9.76%	23,728
Joseph Rudy Rullo	6.51%	15,816
Steve Rogers	5.84%	14,187
Total Votes		243,133
Source: New Jersey Division of Elections

Phil Murphy defeated Jim Johnson, John Wisniewski, Ray Lesniak, Bill Brennan, and Mark Zinna in the Democratic primary.

New Jersey Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Phil Murphy	48.42%	243,643
Jim Johnson	21.91%	110,250
John Wisniewski	21.57%	108,532
Ray Lesniak	4.83%	24,318
Bill Brennan	2.24%	11,263
Mark Zinna	1.04%	5,213
Total Votes		503,219
Source: New Jersey Division of Elections

Campaign themes

2017

Johnson's website highlighted his background and experience:

“	During the Clinton Administration, Jim served in several senior positions within the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He started as an Assistant Secretary and President Clinton asked him to co-chair the National Church Arson Task Force. Later, he served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement, overseeing the operations of one third of federal law enforcement, including the United States Secret Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the United States Customs Service. In the wake of the mass shooting at Columbine, Jim saw first hand the deadly results when guns are in the wrong hands and fought to close the gun-show loophole that contributed to the massacre. At the end of the Clinton years, Jim returned to private practice, where clients brought him in to handle their toughest challenges. He routinely advised companies who wanted independent reviews of their actions that met tough Department Of Justice standards for independence and thoroughness. As a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton, Jim was known for his calm demeanor, high ethical standards and insistence on getting the facts right. In 2009, Jim was selected by a federal judge to oversee the settlement of an affordable housing conflict between the Department of U.S. Housing and Urban Development in Westchester County, NY. His task was to hold officials accountable for fulfilling the terms of the consent decree. He also developed new, collaborative ways for communities to understand and solve the problems of developing and marketing affordable housing. For seven years, Jim led the Brennan Center for Justice as chair and, at times, co-counsel, working to protect the right to vote, to reduce both crime and incarceration and to advocate for fairness for families facing foreclosure. For two years, Jim led the State of New Jersey’s Advisory Committee on Police Standards, formed to develop a set of proposals to ensure that the State Trooper’s progress in eliminating racial profiling became permanent. His work led to a change in the law that has transformed the relationship between State Troopers and civilian leadership and has withstood the test of time. In the last two years, Jim brought together members of the civil rights and law enforcement communities in a collaboration known as New Jersey Communities Forward – a project within the NJ Institute for Social Justice. Adopting a new approach, NJCF contributed heavily to the new policies on police worn body cameras, independent shooting reviews and implicit bias training. New Jersey needs a new way of doing business – one that brings the wisdom of its people into the process and is forward-looking rather than crisis-driven. Jim is running for Governor to ensure that all of our voices are heard as we work to improve our public schools, increase wages and benefits for working families, and invest in repairing our roads, bridges, water system, and mass transit.	”
—Jim Johnson

External links

Suggest a link

• New Jersey Legislature website