In 2007, Johnson resigned as a Wake County prosecutor, moved back to his hometown of Hickory, and announced that he would run for election to the United States House of Representatives in North Carolina's 10th congressional district.
[3] After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Johnson began his service as an officer in the United States Navy.
He began his legal career as a prosecutor in Wake County, North Carolina, and quickly worked his way up from handling misdemeanor DWI cases to felony assignments, including drug trafficking, robbery, and murder.
[6] Daniel Johnson announced in late 2007 his run for Congress, and was able to raise more than $123,000 in campaign funds during the fourth quarter of 2007, an amount the Hickory Daily Record termed "competitive.
[9][10][11] The Hickory Daily Record endorsed Johnson on October 31, writing, "We need independent-thinking candidates who will not be guided by their own political aspirations.