Eric Johnson (Georgia politician)

Eric Johnson (born August 20, 1953) is an American politician who served in the Georgia State Senate representing the 1st District, comprising all of Bryan and Liberty counties and part of Chatham County. He resigned his seat in 2009, after years in the Georgia General Assembly, to be a candidate to succeed term-limited Sonny Perdue for Governor of Georgia in 2010.

A Republican, he was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1992, giving up his seat after one term to run for the state senate. He was re-elected to the state senate in 1996. His colleagues voted him as the Minority Leader in 1998; he served until 2003. In 2003, following the 2002 election of the first Republican Governor in over 130 years, several Democrats changed parties and Republicans gained the state senate majority. Johnson was elected as the Senate President Pro Tempore. The Republican majority stripped Democratic Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor of most of his powers, so for all intents and purposes Johnson served as lieutenant governor. The power of the lieutenant governor was restored back to current lieutenant governor Casey Cagle, a Republican, in 2007.

Background
He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is of the Christian faith. He makes his career as an architect.

Professional career
Architect, North Point Real Estate, 2006–present

Architect/vice president, Hussey, Gay, Bell and Deyoung International, 1986–present

Education
Senator Johnson graduated with a Bachelor's and master's degree in architecture from Tulane University in 1976.

Career
Johnson has always been involved in politics—from local to national:

Senator, Georgia State Senate, 1994–2009

Minority Leader, Georgia State Senate, 1999–2003

Minority Whip, Georgia State Senate, 1997–1998

Representative, Georgia House of Representatives, 1992–1994

Chair, Chatham County Republican Party, 1987–1989

Regional director, United States Senator Mack Mattingly, 1981–1983

Johnson is a Republican and served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995. He represented the 1st District in the Georgia State Senate beginning in 1995, and became the institution's President Pro Tempore in 2005.

Over the years, his committee assignments have included Appropriations, Assignments, Banking & Financial Institutions, Consumer Affairs, Economic Development, Tourism & Cultural Affairs, Ethics, Finance & Public Utilities, Natural Resources and the Environment, Regulated Industries and Utilities, Rules and Transportations.

Campaign for Governor
In 2009, Johnson filed paperwork with the Georgia State Ethics Commission to run for governor in 2010. He came up short in the Republican primary, finishing just short of the runoff to Karen Handel and Nathan Deal.