Jennifer Johnson (politician)

Jennifer Johnson
MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka
Assumed office
May 29, 2023
Preceded byRon Orr
Personal details
Political partyUnited Conservative
Other political
affiliations
Independent (2023-2024)

Jennifer Johnson is a Canadian politician from the United Conservative Party. She was elected member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Lacombe-Ponoka in the 2023 Alberta general election.[1]

In 2023 Johnson defeated Lacombe City Councilor Chris Ross and paramedic Dusty Myshrall to win the UCP nomination in Lacombe-Ponoka.[2]

Speaking at an event on September 1, 2022, Johnson compared the presence of transgender children in schools to "adding a teaspoon of feces to a batch of cookies."[3] After the remarks were revealed, and before the election, UCP party leader Danielle Smith said that Johnson would not sit with the caucus if elected. However, in the summer of 2024, Smith stated Johnson could be welcomed back into the UCP caucus in late 2024.[4] In October 2024, Johnson was allowed to rejoin the UCP caucus after a caucus vote, with Smith describing her as an "excellent representative".[5]

Electoral history

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2023 general election

[edit]
2023 Alberta general election: Lacombe-Ponoka
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United Conservative Jennifer Johnson[a] 14,324 67.57 -3.74
New Democratic Dave Dale 4,995 23.56 +8.63
Alberta Party Myles Chykerda 1,167 5.50 -4.84
Wildrose Loyalty Coalition Daniel Jeffries 444 2.09
Green Taylor Lowery 196 0.92
Solidarity Movement Nathan Leslie 74 0.35
Total 21,200 99.40
Rejected and declined 128 0.60
Turnout 21,328 61.28
Eligible voters 34,804
United Conservative hold Swing -6.19
Source(s)
  1. ^ On May 24, United Conservative Party leader Danielle Smith announced that Johnson would be excluded from the United Conservative caucus if elected. As this decision came after the deadline for candidate registration, she remained on the ballot as a United Conservative.[6]

2023 UCP Lacombe-Ponoka nomination contest

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February 17, 2023[8]

Candidate
Votes %
Jennifer Johnson 970 74.9
Dusty Myshrall 278 21.5
Chris Ross 47 3.6
Total 1,295 100.00

References

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  1. ^ "Alberta election 2023 results: Lacombe-Ponoka | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Archived from the original on 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  2. ^ "UPDATED: UCP candidate Jennifer Johnson is the newly-minted MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka - Lacombe Express". www.lacombeexpress.com. 2023-05-30. Archived from the original on 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  3. ^ French, Janet (2023-05-25). "Smith shuts door on caucus seat for UCP candidate who compared transgender children to feces in food". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  4. ^ Markusoff, Jason. "Lacombe-Ponoka MLA who made derogatory remarks about trans students could return to UCP caucus: Danielle Smith". CBC News. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  5. ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (October 9, 2024). "Alberta MLA who compared transgender children to feces in food welcomed into UCP caucus". CBC News. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  6. ^ Weber, Mark (2023-05-30). "UCP candidate Jennifer Johnson is the newly-minted MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka". Lacombe Express. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  7. ^ "68 - Lacombe-Ponoka". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  8. ^ "Lacombe-Ponoka" (PDF). United Conservative Party. Retrieved 14 March 2024.