As of 2021, he is the most recent statewide elected Democrat to serve in the North Dakota state government.
[2] He earned a BA from North Dakota State University in 1975 and did graduate work for two years.
In 1988 he was asked by Sarah Vogel, the Agriculture Commissioner at the time, to work for her and run the state's Agricultural Mediation Program, which helped farmers resolve financial problems with creditors.
[5] Johnson faced a rematch against Republican Goehring in the 2006 election, winning by a wider margin than in 2004.
[6] He served as the president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) from 2007 to 2008.