Sen. Ron Johnson announced he will seek a third term in the U.S. Senate, ending months of speculation about his political future.
Johnson previously vowed in 2016 that he would not seek a third term. In a November town hall, he appeared unenthusiastic about the prospect of running for reelection, saying, “The fact of the matter is my preference would be to go home.”
In an election cycle projected to favor Republicans, Wisconsin is seen as the best opportunity for Democrats to flip a seat as both parties battle for control of the upper chamber.
Republican allies had been publicly pushing for Johnson to seek another term, as they viewed Johnson as their best chance to hold the seat.
Amid speculation about whether or not he would in fact seek a third term, Johnson made a series of increasingly controversial remarks on the COVID-19 pandemic and backed unfounded claims of fraud in the 2020 election. He claimed during a town hall, without evidence, that gargling mouthwash can kill the coronavirus, a claim mouthwash brand Listerine addressed on social media.
Though he has supported Trump’s claims of a rigged election, Johnson was surreptitiously recorded last year saying “there’s nothing obviously skewed about the results” of the 2020 election.
