Laura Johnson (Utah)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Laura Johnson

Utah Forward Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Palm Beach Atlantic University, 1994

Personal

Birthplace

Jacksonville, Fla.

Religion

Christian: Protestant

Profession

Teacher

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Laura Johnson (Utah Forward Party) ran for election to the Utah State Board of Education to represent District 3. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Laura Johnson was born in Jacksonville, Florida. Johnson earned a bachelor's degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University in 1994. Her career experience includes working as a teacher and business owner.

Elections

2024

See also: Utah State Board of Education election, 2024

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 3

Rod Hall defeated Laura Johnson in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rod Hall (R)	69.5	60,766
		Laura Johnson (Utah Forward Party)	30.5	26,628

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 87,394
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Utah State Board of Education District 3

Rod Hall defeated incumbent Brent Strate in the Republican primary for Utah State Board of Education District 3 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rod Hall	57.3	14,468
		Brent Strate	42.7	10,801

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,269
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Utah Forward Party primary election

The Utah Forward Party primary election was canceled. Laura Johnson advanced from the Utah Forward Party primary for Utah State Board of Education District 3.

Republican convention

Republican convention for Utah State Board of Education District 3

Rod Hall defeated incumbent Brent Strate in the Republican convention for Utah State Board of Education District 3 on April 27, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rod Hall (R)	75.5	157
		Brent Strate (R)	24.5	51

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 208
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Utah Forward Party convention

Utah Forward Party convention for Utah State Board of Education District 3

Laura Johnson advanced from the Utah Forward Party convention for Utah State Board of Education District 3 on April 27, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Laura Johnson (Utah Forward Party)	100.0	3

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Johnson in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Laura Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Johnson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I've been an educator for over 20 years and a resident of Utah since 2006. I'm a mother of two grown daughters, I've been married for 28 years, and I love hiking and snowboarding Utah's mountains and red rock canyons.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I believe the primary focus of all educators and administrators in all schools across the state has to be improving reading, writing and math scores.
• The best way to improve children's ability to read, write and use numbers is to improve the way we treat our teachers. This goes beyond pay increases. Our teachers are professionals who are to be respected and supported. In my experiences as a teacher, this is not done consistently throughout our schools. It begins with administrators who MUST set high expectations pertaining to the way parents and students are allowed to treat their teachers, and then follow through on those expectations.
• Another vital way to increase test scores and learning is to allow parents to have a choice over the best way to educate their children. Now that Utah has a voucher program, we must do everything we can to support it and to help it succeed so that our students and families can also succeed.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about access to quality education. Changes and improvements need to be made to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education, whether it be through public, private, home school or charter institutions.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

BOOK: Dumbing Us Down (John Taylor Gatto - 1992)
MOVIE: Miss Virginia (2019)

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials must be honest and transparent in all aspects of their work. Trust in our elected officials has eroded over the years and can only be rebuilt through honest and open actions and conversations.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I believe I would be successful in office because I have a passion for education as well as a passion for collaborating with others to creating solutions. I tend to get along with most people and try to listen more than I speak. I don't believe in the idea that "This is how we've always done it!" Creativity, new ideas, and flexibility are essential factors in improving our lives and the lives of others.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility of the state office of education members is to improve the ability of all children to read, write and understand math. This must be done as efficiently and cost effectively as possible.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that I remember as a child was the day Ronald Reagan was shot. I was 8 years old and saw it on the evening news when I got home from school. On the TV I could see that it was raining in Washington and I remember looking outside and seeing that it was raining at my home in Florida at the same time.

I remember feeling sad and scared and thinking that if it was raining in both places at the same time, the President must live closer to us than I realized. It was also the first time I realized that adults were capable of doing terrible things to each other.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was in a grocery store bakery in Florida called Publix. I started the week after my 16th birthday and worked there my junior and senior years. I was paid $4.25 per hour (It was the late 1980s). My first check was over $100 and I was amazed that I could make that much money every two weeks.

It was a physically exhausting job. We had to carry giant boxes and bags of every kind of starch and sugar you can imagine. We were on our feet all day stocking shelves, decorating cakes, and waiting on customers. Fortunately, I had great managers and learned that you could work hard and have fun at the same time.

On the downside, I also gained about 10 pounds and decided never to work around cakes and cookies again!

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. However, I do believe that members should (ideally) have experience as an educator and/or parent.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

The Utah Forward Party and several of its members.

Several teachers including Annie MacKay, Adrianna Moore, Bruce Boughton, Judy Stanford, and others.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Transparency in government is essential because it promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their government is doing. It ensures that information is always available and guards against any possible misuse of power.
Without transparency and accountability, trust will be lost between representatives and the people they govern.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Laura Johnson campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Utah State Board of Education District 3	Lost general	$400	$-663
Grand total			$400	$-663
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Utah State Board of Education District 3

Facebook

Personal

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn