Aaron Johanson

Aaron Ling Johanson (born January 30, 1980 ) is an American politician who served as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2010 to 2022, representing Aiea, Moanalua, Foster Village and Fort Shafter in Honolulu County on the island of Oahu.

He was originally elected as a Republican in 2010. He was re-elected as such in 2012 and 2014, serving as House Minority Whip from 2011 to 2013 and as House Minority Leader from 2013 to December 29, 2014, when he changed his party affiliation and joined the Democratic Party. He was re-elected as a Democrat in 2016, defeating his Republican opponent with 70% of the vote. Johanson announced in May 2022 that he would not run for re-election in the 2022 Hawaii House of Representatives election, leaving office at the end of his term.

Early and personal life Johanson was born in Montana. When he was six years old, his family moved to Hawaii, where his maternal grandparents had lived since 1959 and his grandfather worked as a shipfitter at Naval Station Pearl Harbor for over 30 years. He is fluent in Japanese and speaks some Chinese.

Political career Prior to elected office, Johanson served as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the United States Mint, a Deputy Associate Director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, a Deputy Chief of Staff to Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii Duke Aiona, a legislative analyst for State Representative Lynn Finnegan and the Commissioner of the Hawaii Legislative Federal Economic Stimulus Program Oversight Commission. Shortly after being sworn in, he was elected by his Republican colleagues to serve as the House Minority Whip.

Johanson was redistricted to the 32nd District for the 2012 election. He defeated Democrat Eleanor Lei Sharsh in a rematch by 4,017 votes (65.21%) to 2,143 (34.79%). In 2013, he was elected House Minority Leader. Widely regarded to be a "rising star" in the Hawaii Republican Party, at just 32 years of age, he was the youngest person to hold the post in recent history.

He was re-elected in 2014, defeating Sharsh in a second rematch by 3,698 votes (71.81%) to 1,452 (28.19%).

After the 2014 elections, all eight Republicans in the State House were unable to organise because some of them wanted to replace Johanson as Minority Leader, saying that he was "too collaborative" with the Democrats.

Johanson announced at the end of the 2022 legislative session on May 5, 2022 that he will not run for re-election, and will leave public office to spend more time with his elderly parents.