Gina Johnsen

Gina Johnsen

Republican Party

Michigan House of Representatives District 78

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Compensation

Base salary

$71,685/year

Per diem

No per diem is paid. Legislators receive an expense allowance of $10,800/year for session and interim.

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Lansing Eastern High School

Bachelor's

Wellesley College, 1989

Graduate

Wellesley College

Personal

Birthplace

Lansing, Mich.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Insurance

Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Gina Johnsen (Republican Party) is a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, representing District 78. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Johnsen (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 78. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Johnsen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Gina Johnsen was born in Lansing, Michigan. She earned a high school diploma from Lansing Eastern High School. Johnsen earned a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in 1989 and a master's degree in economics from Wellesley College. Her career experience includes owning an insurance business and working as a life and health insurance agent. Johnsen has served as the director of the Michigan Capitol House of Prayer and on the advisory board of directors of Protect Life Michigan.

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Johnsen was assigned to the following committees:

• Education Committee
• Families, Children, and Seniors Committee
• Judiciary Committee

Elections

2024

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 78

Incumbent Gina Johnsen defeated Christine Terpening in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 78 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gina Johnsen (R)	68.6	33,508
	Submit photo	Christine Terpening (D)	31.4	15,344

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 48,852
= 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 Michigan House of Representatives District 78

Christine Terpening advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 78 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Christine Terpening	100.0	3,590

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,590
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 78

Incumbent Gina Johnsen defeated Jon Rocha in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 78 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gina Johnsen	72.2	8,932
		Jon Rocha	27.8	3,438

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,370
= 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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Endorsements

Johnsen received the following endorsements.

• Citizens for Traditional Values – PAC

2022

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 78

Gina Johnsen defeated Leah Groves in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 78 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gina Johnsen (R)	65.6	25,765
	Submit photo	Leah Groves (D)	34.4	13,533

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 39,298
= 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 Michigan House of Representatives District 78

Leah Groves advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 78 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Leah Groves	100.0	4,436

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,436
= 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 Michigan House of Representatives District 78

Gina Johnsen defeated Ben Geiger, Christine Barnes, and Jon Rocha in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 78 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gina Johnsen	41.6	6,099
	Submit photo	Ben Geiger	27.5	4,041
	Submit photo	Christine Barnes	22.5	3,301
		Jon Rocha (Write-in)	8.4	1,232

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 14,673
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Sandy Pearson (R)

2020

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 71

Incumbent Angela Witwer defeated Gina Johnsen and Dalton McCuiston in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 71 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Angela Witwer (D)	51.2	28,200
		Gina Johnsen (R)	47.3	26,049
		Dalton McCuiston (G)	1.5	807

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 55,056
= 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 Michigan House of Representatives District 71

Incumbent Angela Witwer advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 71 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Angela Witwer	100.0	12,213

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,213
= 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 Michigan House of Representatives District 71

Gina Johnsen defeated Christine Barnes in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 71 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gina Johnsen	51.3	5,390
	Submit photo	Christine Barnes	48.7	5,115

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,505
= 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.

Green convention

Green convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 71

Dalton McCuiston advanced from the Green convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 71 on June 20, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Dalton McCuiston (G)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Gina Johnsen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Johnsen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Republican woman - see website GinaForStateRep.com

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Parents are in charge of their children.
• Economics matters so families can thrive and take car of their own. Lower taxes and better business environment for creative, productive work to prosper.
• Safe communities and sustainable infrastructure are essential to any society and should be foundational priorities for government.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, health, judiciary.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Ronald Reagan

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

George Gilder’s writings - economics.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Experience, integrity, and a service attitude.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Serve the public, understand what burdens families and citizens and what frees them to do their best and thrive. Must understand economics.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Summer job - bank teller. Many summers I worked for banks.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Equal authority and best when they collaborate.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Overcoming (changing) poor business environment structure. Taxes, right to work, etc.

Letting parents choose education and healthcare for their children.
Healthcare: more choice and access to choice.

Farmland and local food supply under threat from many directions including our state and federal government.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes it is helpful but not necessary.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely! We just work together, learn from each other’s areas of expertise, and collaborate.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Tom Casperson, Paul Opsommer, many others

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Maybe

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Yes

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

I have introduced many bills already. See record.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

All of the conservative ones and Farm Bureau and Fraternal Order of Police. See website.

What committees interest you?

Health, education, judiciary.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I am for it.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I would not encourage ballot initiatives. Most states don’t have them.

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.

2022

Gina Johnsen did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Gina Johnsen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Johnsen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Gina Johnsen is a community leader and business professional who was born and raised in the Lansing area and for many years has called Eaton County home. A graduate of Lansing Eastern High School and Wellesley College near Boston, Gina is a Lansing-area business woman who has dedicated her life to helping serve local churches, charities, and civic organizations while raising her daughter as a single Mother. Gina is also the Director of the Michigan Capitol House of Prayer, where she has devoted her leadership to serving both sides of the political aisle.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Michigan Families First
• Common Sense Constitutional Conservative
• Eaton County Matters

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education that improves math and reading skills, and promotes both skilled trades curriculum as well as college preparation .

Lower taxes and fewer regulations to encourage more job creation and business growth.

Safety within our schools and neighborhoods. This empowers citizens to live together peacefully, with respect for law enforcement, and in partnership with each other toward a productive, thriving community.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to the hard working families who plow through challenges, do what needs to be done, and are the foundation of the civilized world. These are the unsung heroes.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Transparency, productivity, and accountability to the principles and values of the constituents one represents.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of reducing burdens on families, while increasing their independence to raise their children. By reducing taxation, maintaining public safety, and promoting a strong partnership between parents and schools, families can become more empowered to thrive and prosper.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Michigan has many challenges ahead. Some of the most important challenges will be continued economic growth to foster increased job creation, educational support that improves math and reading skills while providing skilled trades as well as college preparation , and maintaining safe and stable communities.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

Ideally, the Governor and Legislature should have mutual respect, common public interest, and the well-being of the state at the forefront of their offices. This type of synergy will create a relationship of common goals and cooperation.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

It is not only important to build relationships with other legislators, it is essential. Mutual respect and cooperation is what delivers results that benefit our communities.

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.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Gina Johnsen campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Michigan House of Representatives District 78	Won general	$151,401	$0
2022	Michigan House of Representatives District 78	Won general	$49,699	$0
2022	U.S. House Michigan District 6	Withdrew primary	$345	$345
2020	Michigan House of Representatives District 71	Lost general	$265,503	N/A**
Grand total			$466,948	$345
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Michigan

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Michigan scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Michigan State Legislature was in session from January 10 to December 23. Michigan AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on labor issues. Michigan Chamber Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Michigan Farm Bureau Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture. Michigan League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].
In 2023, the Michigan State Legislature was in session from January 11 to November 14. Michigan AFL-CIO Advocates Legislators are scored on labor issues. Michigan League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Michigan State Legislature was in session from January 12 to December 28. Clean Water Action & Sierra Club Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Michigan AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on labor issues. Michigan Chamber Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Michigan Farm Bureau Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture. Michigan League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. MIRS: Senate and House Legislators are scored on a number of bills selected by the editor of MIRS, a state capitol newsletter. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Michigan State Legislature was in session from January 13 to December 31. Clean Water Action & Sierra Club Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Michigan AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on labor issues. Michigan Farm Bureau Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture. Michigan League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. MIRS: Senate and House Legislators are scored on a number of bills selected by the editor of MIRS, a state capitol newsletter. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

See also

2024 Elections

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Michigan House of Representatives District 78

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Michigan House of Representatives District 78

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Michigan House of Representatives District 78 2023-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Michigan House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Matt Hall

Minority Leader:Ranjeev Puri

Representatives

District 1

Tyrone Carter (D)

District 2

Tullio Liberati (D)

District 3

Alabas Farhat (D)

District 4

Karen Whitsett (D)

District 5

Regina Weiss (D)

District 6

Natalie Price (D)

District 7

Tonya Myers Phillips (D)

District 8

Helena Scott (D)

District 9

Joseph Tate (D)

District 10

Veronica Paiz (D)

District 11

Donavan McKinney (D)

District 12

Kimberly Edwards (D)

District 13

Mai Xiong (D)

District 14

Mike McFall (D)

District 15

Erin Byrnes (D)

District 16

Stephanie Young (D)

District 17

Laurie Pohutsky (D)

District 18

Jason Hoskins (D)

District 19

Samantha Steckloff (D)

District 20

Noah Arbit (D)

District 21

Kelly Breen (D)

District 22

Matt Koleszar (D)

District 23

Jason Morgan (D)

District 24

Ranjeev Puri (D)

District 25

Peter Herzberg (D)

District 26

Dylan Wegela (D)

District 27

Rylee Linting (R)

District 28

Jamie Thompson (R)

District 29

James DeSana (R)

District 30

William Bruck (R)

District 31

Reggie Miller (D)

District 32

Jimmie Wilson (D)

District 33

Morgan Foreman (D)

District 34

Nancy Jenkins-Arno (R)

District 35

Jennifer Wortz (R)

District 36

Steve Carra (R)

District 37

Brad Paquette (R)

District 38

Joey Andrews (D)

District 39

Pauline Wendzel (R)

District 40

Matt Longjohn (D)

District 41

Julie Rogers (D)

District 42

Matt Hall (R)

District 43

Rachelle Smit (R)

District 44

Steve Frisbie (R)

District 45

Sarah Lightner (R)

District 46

Kathy Schmaltz (R)

District 47

Carrie Rheingans (D)

District 48

Jennifer Conlin (D)

District 49

Ann Bollin (R)

District 50

Jason Woolford (R)

District 51

Matt Maddock (R)

District 52

Mike Harris (R)

District 53

Brenda Carter (D)

District 54

Donni Steele (R)

District 55

Mark Tisdel (R)

District 56

Sharon MacDonell (D)

District 57

Thomas Kuhn (R)

District 58

Ron Robinson (R)

District 59

Douglas Wozniak (R)

District 60

Joseph Aragona (R)

District 61

Denise Mentzer (D)

District 62

Alicia St. Germaine (R)

District 63

Jay DeBoyer (R)

District 64

Joseph Pavlov (R)

District 65

Jaime Greene (R)

District 66

Josh Schriver (R)

District 67

Phil Green (R)

District 68

David Martin (R)

District 69

Jasper Martus (D)

District 70

Cynthia Neeley (D)

District 71

Brian BeGole (R)

District 72

Mike Mueller (R)

District 73

Julie Brixie (D)

District 74

Kara Hope (D)

District 75

Penelope Tsernoglou (D)

District 76

Angela Witwer (D)

District 77

Emily Dievendorf (D)

District 78

Gina Johnsen (R)

District 79

Angela Rigas (R)

District 80

Phil Skaggs (D)

District 81

Stephen Wooden (D)

District 82

Kristian Grant (D)

District 83

John Fitzgerald (D)

District 84

Carol Glanville (D)

District 85

Bradley Slagh (R)

District 86

Nancy De Boer (R)

District 87

William Snyder (D)

District 88

Greg VanWoerkom (R)

District 89

Luke Meerman (R)

District 90

Bryan Posthumus (R)

District 91

Pat Outman (R)

District 92

Jerry Neyer (R)

District 93

Tim Kelly (R)

District 94

Amos O'Neal (D)

District 95

Bill Schuette (R)

District 96

Timothy Beson (R)

District 97

Matthew Bierlein (R)

District 98

Gregory Alexander (R)

District 99

Mike Hoadley (R)

District 100

Tom Kunse (R)

District 101

Joseph Fox (R)

District 102

Curt VanderWall (R)

District 103

Betsy Coffia (D)

District 104

John Roth (R)

District 105

Ken Borton (R)

District 106

Cameron Cavitt (R)

District 107

Parker Fairbairn (R)

District 108

David Prestin (R)

District 109

Karl Bohnak (R)

District 110

Gregory Markkanen (R)

Republican Party (58)

Democratic Party (52)