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Alec Johnson
Alec Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 11. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Johnson was a Democratic candidate for Texas House of Representatives District 11 in 2018. He was defeated in the general election on November 6, 2018.
In 2020, Johnson participated in a Candidate Conversation hosted by Ballotpedia and EnCiv. Click here to view the recording.
Biography
Alec Johnson was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and a graduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Johnson's career experience includes working in the helping professions, in software engineering, and as a campaign professional. He is affiliated with the Sunrise Movement, the Tar Sands Blockade, and Our Revolution East Texas.[1][2]
Elections
2020
See also: Texas House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 11
Incumbent Travis Clardy defeated Alec Johnson in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 11 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Travis Clardy (R) | 75.7 | 49,864 |
 | Alec Johnson (D)  | 24.3 | 15,965 | |
| Total votes: 65,829 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 11
Alec Johnson advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 11 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Alec Johnson | 100.0 | 5,228 |
| Total votes: 5,228 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 11
Incumbent Travis Clardy advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 11 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Travis Clardy | 100.0 | 21,049 |
| Total votes: 21,049 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
2018
General election
General election for Texas House of Representatives District 11
Incumbent Travis Clardy defeated Alec Johnson in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 11 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Travis Clardy (R) | 74.4 | 38,716 |
| Alec Johnson (D) | 25.6 | 13,350 | |
| Total votes: 52,066 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 11
Alec Johnson advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 11 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Alec Johnson | 100.0 | 2,589 |
| Total votes: 2,589 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 11
Incumbent Travis Clardy defeated Danny Ward in the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 11 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Travis Clardy | 66.8 | 11,970 |
| Danny Ward | 33.2 | 5,946 | ||
| Total votes: 17,916 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2020
Candidate Conversations
Candidate Conversations is a virtual debate format that allows voters to easily get to know their candidates through a short video Q&A.
Click below to watch the conversation for this race.
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Alec Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Johnson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Inspired by the Greatest Generations' service and sacrifice in WWII, he saw the same values embodied by Civil Rights heroes like Martin Luther King Jr. and many others. Throughout his life, he has been willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of others.
He came to Texas early in 2013 to support efforts to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline, an environmental disaster for Texas and our nation. Alec has had the amazing good fortune to meet and marry the love of his life.
Having made East Texas his home, Alec has decided to run to become State Representative for House District 11. With a passion and track record for solving complex problems, Alec is confident that he can help bring the Green New Deal to Texas, lifting working families up and out of poverty while rescuing our future from the threat of Global Warming. He remains convinced that Texas can be the Salvation of our Nation.
- I'm convinced the Green New Deal will be the best thing that's ever happened to Texas. It will be our Best Destiny and when we embrace it, Texas will be the best thing that's every happened to the United States.
- Green New Deal will go further than any alternative to bring social, economic, and environmental justice to Texas. And Jobs! Plenty of Jobs!
- In the 21st Century it is high time we turn a corner on the scourge and shame of racism. Antiracism is a practical, political solution embraced and promoted by this campaign District wide.
The Global Warming Crisis presents Texas with unique and historic challenges and opportunities. Texas remains the #1 emitter of Carbon Pollution in the United States. Right now Texas is sadly leading the charge toward ruination. Yet Texas possesses the greatest bounty of wind and solar renewable energy potential in the lower 48 states. The GND will allow us to turn a corner, embrace our Best Destiny, and become the leading provider of renewable energy solutions. Texas can be the Salvation of our Nation.
I also admire Bernie Sanders, who I will vote for in the Primary and plan on voting in the General. He is precisely the right kind of leader we need to move beyond the perilous crossroads we face today. Like AOC, Bernie is the finest kind of public servant. He can't be bought and neither can I.
I look up to the brave people risking their freedom to confront extreme energy madness and halt it. All the water protectors across the country and the stalwart Tar Sands Blockade. It is my deep honor to be numbered among them.
I am transparently honest and eager to be held accountable for every decision I make. I have a passion for confronting and solving complex problems which we face no shortage of here in Texas.
I think in this era, it behooves all elected officials to recognize that the threat of Global Warming requires us to dramatically rethink the fundamentals of our civilization. We must be prepared to think far outside the box.
Quitting smoke was very hard to do. I had failed many times before. But finally, I overcame it. When I find myself confronting other very difficult challenges, I can remind myself that I've faced and overcome great difficulties before. It's been a useful life experience. It also gives me much sympathy for others suffering from addictions.
Beyond that, the obvious difference is that Texas's 31 Senators have to concern themselves with more counties than their 150 Texas House colleagues.
I also think that principles and values matter a great deal. In my case, I cannot be bought. I am only interested in making progress for the many, not the few.
Texas has the third most regressive tax system in the U.S. We need to force corporations and the rich to pay their fair share of taxes. We need to stop balancing the budget on the backs of Texas working families.
Texas should lead the world providing quality healthcare to all residents, but instead, we lag far behind. Accepting Medicaid Expansion would be the first step I'd take. Moving towards Medicare-for-all would be the second.
A good governor could use her bully pulpit to help inspire civic engagement and focus our collective spirit towards the challenges we must confront.
"Moderation in temper is always a virtue, but moderation in principle is always a vice." Thomas Paine.
My friends' story is not unique. I've encountered the same tragic story all across District 11.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Alec Johnson participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on July 10, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Alec Johnson's responses follow below.[3]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | Overturn SB4 and HB40. Move to accept Medicaid Expansion. Sunset unnecessary corporate tax breaks and close corporate tax loopholes.[4][5] | ” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | I am most passionate about creating local living economies that lift up working families. This includes embracing the fact that Texas is the richest state in terms of renewable energy and that we should embrace our clean energy future.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[5]
|
” |
Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Alec Johnson answered the following:
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow and why?
| “ | I admire Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and candidates like her. They represent the future of leadership in this country. From an earlier era, I admire Founding Fathers Thomas Paine and Ben Franklin. Of all the Presidents who ever lived, I most admire Abraham Lincoln.[5] | ” |
| “ | I have been influenced by books, films, and many other things. But of all the things that have had an influence on me, none is greater than this quote from Bertrand Russell, which defines me. He declared, "I would rather be mad with the truth than sane with lies." That quote could be etched on my tombstone. It is why I am a fearless champion of the people. It is why I cannot be bought and wish only to be a true servant of the people.[5] | ” |
| “ | Honesty, hard work, and a passion for truth. A desire to get to the root of problems and correct them for good. Courage to stand up against rich and powerful special interests. A long term vision of a just and sustainable future.[5] | ” |
| “ | When I was seven I discovered a characteristic about myself that is distinctive. I was visiting my grandparents in Florida and my Grandfather borrowed a horse from a neighbor. I had never ridden before and was filled with excitement. I rode bareback and the clever old horse rode under a tree and dropped me from his back. My parents, following close by, rushed to comfort me, but all I wanted to do was get back on the horse. I wanted to get back in saddle, so to speak. For the rest of my life, when I get knocked down, I just want to get back in the saddle. Life and politics will often knock us out of our saddles. What matters most isn't getting knocked down. It is our determination to mount up again and carry on.[5] | ” |
| “ | An elected official should strive to represent the best interests of the greatest number of their constituents always. The Iroquois nation felt that decisions should consider effects up to seven generations hence. I agree. Maintaining effective and transparent communications with constituents is vital. Martin Luther King Jr. declared that "Justice is the Public Face of Love." Elected officials should ensure that it smiles on everyone.[5] | ” |
| “ | That I helped turn Texas around so that it embraced its Clean Energy Future. That the State of Texas was determined to protect our children's right to both a habitable atmosphere and an economy operating under the principle that people matter more than profits.[5] | ” |
| “ | I remember the Vietnam War and I remember the Civil Rights era. Both of these events had personal significance for me and helped me step up on the political stage. I have been politically active for over 50 years.[5] | ” |
| “ | I was a 16-year-old stock clerk at Associated Food Mart in Sea Cliff, New York. I held it for about a year.[5] | ” |
| “ | I went out with a woman I liked and after we had what seemed like a good time, she told me I wasn't her type. I realized that people have to try each other on first. It's not unreasonable. Just a little awkward.[5] | ” |
| “ | Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I like how it embraces not just family, but community. And I love eating good food with family and friends.[5] | ” |
| “ | Inversions by Burt Alpert. Alpert was perhaps the best read scholar I ever encountered. His book's insights had a lasting effect on me.[5] | ” |
| “ | I would choose the Mule. He is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. He is a mentalic who has the ability to reach into the minds of others and "adjust" their emotions, individually or en masse, using this capability to conscript individuals to his cause. I would use this ability to bring about a world where everyone would get what they need, contributing what they can. A more realistic way to accomplish this is to be a superb orator.[5] | ” |
| “ | My wife whenever she is in our home.[5] | ” |
| “ | You steal my sunshine.[5] | ” |
| “ | Like many people, I struggle to make ends meet.[5] | ” |
| “ | I think the difference between the two chambers pales when compared to their similarities. They both should be representing the majority of Texans.[5] | ” |
| “ | It really depends on the kind of experience they had. The experiences I've had in other areas of my life make me confident I will be a very effective state representative. My experience running a small business, working in the helping professions. being a community activist and the decade I spent working for corporations has given me a treasure of skills, talents and abilities to draw upon.[5] | ” |
| “ | The greatest challenge in Texas will be to counter the power of rich elites that interferes with the state serving the true interests of the vast majority of the people who dwell here.[5] | ” |
| “ | The ideal relationship between the governor and the legislature will be one marked with equal respect for the needs of average citizens over corporations and those who own and control them.[5] | ” |
| “ | I think it is absolutely beneficial to develop relationships with other legislators. In fact, I'm already forming strong relationships with many new leaders I hope to join me in Austin next year. Through honest dialog we can arrive at a collective intelligence that is greater and wiser than the sum of its parts.[5] | ” |
| “ | I think it should be non-partisan. I think a good idea would be to set goals for redistricting and have an open competition where anyone could submit plans that conformed to those goals. Perhaps the top three could be put before the electorate for confirmation. It is vital that we end gerrymandering, which has blighted our democracy for far too long.[5] | ” |
| “ | I would welcome opportunities to be on these committees: Environmental Regulation, Energy Resources, and Public Education, and Economic and Small Business Development.[5] | ” |
| “ | I would be interested in being part of the Democratic Party's leadership only after I learned the ropes a bit more. Perhaps in my second term of office. I have been impressed by the Democratic Party leadership already in place and look forward to working with them.[5] | ” |
| “ | I am impressed with Donna Howard and Chris Turner, among others.[5] | ” |
| “ | I don't want to speculate about future offices I might run for. I am focused laser-like on winning this seat and doing a tremendous job for the 110,000+ souls who live in House District 11.[5] | ” |
| “ | I know a couple that are struggling because the Teacher Retirement System has failed them. The wife was a career teacher. Everything was fine until sweeping changes were made in their health insurance. Suddenly they had a $6,000 deductible that threw them for a loop. Also, medications her husband depends on were no longer discounted and they simply couldn't afford them. This is no way to treat a public servant who devoted herself to teaching. She and her husband deserve to retire in dignity and not have to struggle to be able to afford essential healthcare.[5] | ” |
See also
2020 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook page
- Campaign Twitter page
- Campaign website (2018 state legislative election)
Footnotes
- ↑ Alec Johnson for Texas, "Meet Alec," accessed January 29, 2018
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 18, 2020
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Alec Johnson's responses," July 10, 2018
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 5.24 5.25 5.26 5.27 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
