Brewer's track record vs. Johnson's Washington ties

By Chad Selweski
chad.selweski@macombdaily.com @cbsnewsman
Wednesday, February 6,2013

The political battle for the chairmanship of the Michigan Democratic Party took a turn on Wednesday as the 18-year incumbent stressed his deep roots in state politics and the challenger, with limited connections to Michigan, emphasized his ability to rely upon high-tech methods to recruit candidates and raise millions of dollars.

The challenger, Lon Johnson, told reporters that he will rely upon Facebook, Twitter and online tactics to dramatically improve the party’s chances in the 2014 election. Johnson, 41, launched an aggressive Facebook campaign for the chairmanship that outlined several items in his platform, including building “a new party executive structure.”

“We need effective and efficient ways of winning at the ballot box. We … need the tools and technology to do this, and we need to start now,” said Johnson, a Kalkaska area resident who has worked for the Democratic Party at the national level in Washington.

In response, party Chairman Mark Brewer continued to stress his support from grassroots activists while declining to level criticism at Johnson. About 1,500 delegates will elect the 2013-14 chairman at the party’s Democratic State Convention on Feb. 23 at Cobo Center in Detroit.
Brewer, who began his political career in Macomb County politics in the early 1980s, asserted that the Michigan party’s use of technology and voter databases puts his administration ahead of nearly every other state.
Yet, the chairman received a smack-down on Tuesday when the UAW and the Michigan Democratic congressional delegation, including Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin and Rep. Sander Levin, unveiled their support for Johnson. The Teamsters are also reportedly in Johnson’s corner, adding to the perception that the political shelf life for Brewer, the longest-serving state party chairman in the nation, may be fading.

At the same time, Johnson, 41, may face scrutiny in the coming days about his lack of homegrown connections to Michigan politics. By his own admission, Johnson was working in Washington for several years prior to his permanent return to Michigan in summer 2004 to serve as director for a pro-Democratic group, America Coming Together. But the Rockwood native’s gig with the ACT, which was backed by billionaire George Soros, ended abruptly in September 2004 when John Kerry’s presidential campaign decided they had sewn up Michigan and sent the state’s ACT staff to other battleground locations.
For the past seven years, Johnson has been employed by the Nashville-based venture capital firm TVV – apparently working from his home – while also waging an unsuccessful 2012 campaign for state House in northern Michigan.

In that race against a favored Republican incumbent, Johnson raised $335,000 – an eye-popping figure for a state House campaign in a still-struggling Michigan economy. According to the campaign finance reports that Johnson filed with the state, the majority of his contributions came from outside the 103rd House District and outside of Michigan.
His 2012 finance figures show that he received hundreds of donations from across the nation, from Alaska and Hawaii to Florida and Massachusetts. Overall, he benefited from campaign cash that flowed in from 23 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Only one contribution came from the place that he now calls his hometown, Kalkaska.

Clearly, Johnson took advantage of his connections established when he was part of Al Gore’s presidential campaign and subsequent political action committee. In addition, he worked at the Democratic National Committee for about 16 months in 2000-01 and at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for one year in 2003-04.
Many political observers assume that Johnson has benefited from his wife’s status – Julianna Smoot served in key positions in President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns and she also demonstrated uncanny fundraising abilities for numerous Democratic senators.

But Johnson said his promises for a more prosperous state party have nothing to do with Smoot.
“This is not about my wife coming in to raise money for the Michigan Democratic Party,” he said.

Johnson said he intends to put in place a “professional, permanent staff” at the party offices in Lansing, including the creation of an executive director post, so that day-to-day operations for the nearly two years leading up to the 2014 elections are spent focused on organization and broadening the party’s base.
He also wants to double the chairman’s salary from its current $70,000 level.

Overall, Johnson’s biggest advantage, as reflected in the endorsement letter from the congressmen and senators, is the poor track record under Brewer at the state election level.
Over the past 16 years, the party has: four consecutive losses for attorney general and secretary of state; just four years of Democratic control of the House; and an overwhelming edge for the GOP in the Senate.
“Just because someone has been in a post for a long time doesn’t necessarily mean they are prepared to go forward,” Johnson said in his conference call with the media. “This … is all about winning.”

In the Senate, where the GOP holds a veto-proof supermajority of 26-12, beleaguered Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer of East Lansing may play a prominent role in deciding which side wins this internal fight. But she has remained quiet and her spokesman, Robert McCann, said Whitmer is currently neutral.
“She has a strong relationship with Mark Brewer and I’m not sure what her relationship is with Lon Johnson, I … am not sure if they have ever met,” McCann said. “But she’s certainly aware of what Lon Johnson brings to the table.”