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Jonathan "JJ" Johnson (born Jonathan Edward Johnson III) is an American business executive, currently serving as the chairman of the board for Overstock.com. He was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2016 Utah gubernatorial election.
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Personal Life and Education
Johnson was born in Los Angeles, California to Jonathan E. Johnson II and Clare Hardy Johnson, the oldest of their eight sons. He received a Bachelor's degree in Japanese from Brigham Young University in 1990, followed by a Law degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School, also at Brigham Young University, in 1993.
Johnson has been married to his wife, Courtney Johnson, for 27 years and together they have five sons. His oldest is named Jonathan Johnson IV.
Career
Following his graduation, Johnson worked as a clerk for Utah Supreme Court Justice Leonard H. Russon.
In 1999, Johnson moved back to Utah to work for the publicly traded software company TenFold Corporation, lasting there until 2002 when he was hired by Overstock.com to be general counsel. He currently serves the chairman of the board at Overstock.
2016 Campaign for Utah Governor
Johnson, a Republican, formally announced his candidacy for governor on August 15, 2015 at the Republican state GOP convention Jonathan Johnson defeated his opponent in the Utah State Republican Convention, by 11 percentage points, forcing the incumbent, Governor of Utah, Gary Herbert, into a primary election, which was held June 28, 2016.
On April 18th, 2016, Johnson announced his selection of Robyn Bagley as his running mate. Bagley is the founder of a charter school, and was a leader on the losing side in the voucher battle in 2007.
Johnson was defeated in the primary. Governor Gary Herbert is the Republican nominee for Utah governor in the 2016 general election.
Education
Johnson and his running mate, Robyn Bagley, focused on education during their announcement to run together for governor and lieutenant governor, and expressed their intention to put education decisions into the hands of private companies. Both running mates voiced support for vouchers that would allow public funding to go to private schools.
Public Land
Approximately 64% of all of the land in Utah is owned by the federal government. Jonathan Johnson plans to sue the federal government for Utah to gain more control over these public lands.