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Chris Johansen
American politician (born 1952) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Chris A. Johansen (born April 3, 1952) is an American politician from Maine.[3] He served as a Republican in the Maine House of Representatives for Maine's 145th House of Representatives district, which comprises 20 towns in Aroostook County. An outspoken opponent of state-mandated public health measures put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, his wife later died from the disease. He resigned from office on November 19, 2021.
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Maine House of Representatives
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Johansen was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2016, replacing incumbent Ricky Long, who did not seek re-election. Johansen was re-elected to the Maine House in both 2018 and 2020.[1]
COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Maine, Johansen was an outspoken opponent of state-mandated public health precautions taken in Maine to reduce the spread of COVID-19.[4][5] In April 2020 he organized two protests in the State Capitol against statewide business shutdowns, acknowledging the virus was public health threat but arguing restrictions should be relaxed in rural areas[6][7] and calling for a limited reopening of the state's economy.[8] He later joined a group of House lawmakers who refused to wear face masks in the Maine State House despite being required by House leadership to do so. A staged confrontation between these lawmakers and Capitol police drew media attention and lead to the representatives being stripped of their committee assignments for a period of time.[4][9][10]
In late July 2021, both Johansen and his wife, Cindy, became ill with COVID-19.[4][11][12][5] Cindy was admitted to the hospital, and died on August 11.[2][13] A week following her death, Johansen attended a rally in opposition to vaccine mandates for healthcare workers at the Maine State House.[13][14][15] He later wrote his wife was reluctant to be vaccinated due to "the conflicting information we have been getting from day one."[13]
On November 19, 2021, Johansen sent a letter to House Speaker Ryan Fecteau announcing his resignation, citing a need to tend to the family farm following his wife's death.[16]
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Career and personal life
Johansen is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps[17] and the Vietnam War.[18] He is retired from a career in law enforcement[17][18] and lives in Monticello, Maine. Johansen has two children, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the National Rifle Association of America.[17]
Electoral history
References
External links
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