Biography

Ron Johnson came to Washington in 2010 after a successful 30-plus-year career in manufacturing because the federal government is bankrupting America. He thinks it is important for citizen legislators to ally with those who are seriously facing that reality. Ron’s experience starting a business, creating jobs and solving problems in the private sector taught him to attack the root cause of a problem, not mere symptoms. He believes huge deficits and slow economic activity are severe symptoms of the problem – but not the root cause. The ever expanding size, scope and cost of government is.

Ron graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in business and accounting after skipping his senior year of high school so he could work full time. As a boy, Ron mowed lawns, shoveled snow, delivered papers, and caddied for a few extra bucks. At the age of 15, he obtained his first tax-paying job as a dishwasher in a Walgreens grill. In 1979, he started his company – PACUR – and did everything from operating the equipment to keeping the company books, to selling its products and managing staff.

Ron served as Chairman of the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee from 2015-2021 and is now the ranking member for the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He also serves on the Budget and Finance committees. In November 2022, Ron was elected to his third term as U.S. Senator for Wisconsin. He resides in Oshkosh, Wisconsin with his wife Jane. They have three children and four grandchildren.