Constance N. Johnson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Connie Johnson
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| Member of the Oklahoma Senate from the 48th district |
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| In office November 2005 – November 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Angela Monson |
| Succeeded by | Anastasia Pittman |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Constance Nevlin Johnson
May 11, 1952 Holdenville, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic Socialists of America |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA) Langston University (MS) |
Constance Nevlin Johnson (born May 11, 1952) is an American politician from Oklahoma. She served as a state senator for District 48 in the Oklahoma Senate until 2014. This district covers parts of northeastern and northwestern Oklahoma County. She was first elected to the state senate in a special election in September 2005.
Connie Johnson made history as the first African American woman to be nominated for a major statewide office in Oklahoma. She was also the first woman from Oklahoma, from any political party, to be nominated for the U.S. Senate. This happened when she won the Democratic primary in the 2014 U.S. Senate election. She later ran for Governor of Oklahoma in 2018 and 2022. She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
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Early Life and Education
Connie Johnson was born in Holdenville, Oklahoma, in 1952. She went to Frederick A. Douglass High School in Oklahoma City. She earned a bachelor's degree in French from the University of Pennsylvania. She also studied for a master's degree in Education there.
After college, she worked for different organizations. These included the Oklahoma Community Action Director's Association. She also worked for the City of Oklahoma City. Later, she earned a master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Langston University.
Working in the Oklahoma State Senate
Before becoming a senator, Connie Johnson worked for the Oklahoma State Senate as a legislative analyst. She did this from 1981 to 2005. In 2005, she won the Senate seat for District 48 in a special election. She was re-elected two more times, in 2006 and 2010.
Senate Committees and Important Work
As a state senator, Connie Johnson worked on many important committees. She was the Chair of the Committee on Select Agencies. She also co-chaired the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. She worked on committees dealing with money, health, transportation, and veterans' issues.
One important moment was her work on Senate Bill 1433. This bill was about women's health and rights. Johnson proposed an amendment to the bill. She wanted to show how the state's policies were unfair to women. Her efforts helped stop the proposed law from passing. This work was even featured on a TV show called "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."
Running for U.S. Senate
On April 8, 2014, Connie Johnson announced she would run for the 2014 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma. She won the Democratic primary election. This meant she would face James Lankford in the general election.
Johnson had spent eight years in the Oklahoma State Senate. She was known for speaking out against the Republican legislature. She was able to build a strong campaign team. She won the runoff election by 14 percentage points. However, she lost the general election to James Lankford. Voter turnout in Oklahoma was low that year.
Fighting the Death Penalty
In 2015 and 2016, Connie Johnson was elected to lead the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP). This group works to end the death penalty. She led a campaign called "Say No To SQ 776/Think Twice Oklahoma." This campaign aimed to keep the death penalty out of Oklahoma's state constitution.
Even though many people thought the state question would pass easily, her campaign made a difference. They focused on how expensive the death penalty is. Their efforts helped reduce the margin by which the measure passed.
Her Role in the Democratic Party
In May 2015, Connie Johnson was elected vice chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party (ODP). She believed the party should do more to help people vote. She supported allowing independent voters to take part in the Democratic primary. She also worked to give diverse groups a stronger voice in the party.
In 2016, she was the only "super delegate" from Oklahoma to support Senator Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention. Senator Sanders won Oklahoma by a large margin in the 2016 Oklahoma Democratic Primary.
Running for Governor
2018 Governor Campaign
Connie Johnson ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Oklahoma in 2018. She won 38.6% of the votes in the primary election. She lost to Drew Edmondson, who won 61.4% of the votes.
2022 Governor Campaign
On May 17, 2021, Johnson announced she would run for Governor again in 2022. She wanted to challenge the Republican governor, Kevin Stitt. On June 28, 2022, she lost the Democratic primary to Joy Hofmeister.
2024 Oklahoma Senate Campaign
Connie Johnson ran for the Oklahoma Senate's 48th district again in 2024. She faced Oklahoma City Councilor Nikki Nice in the Democratic primary. Johnson lost this primary election to Nice.
See also
- List of Democratic Socialists of America who have held office in the United States
- List of African-American United States Senate candidates
