September 2008

Faculty Focus: Dennis Johnson

BY JULIA PARMLEY

It’s safe to say that GW Professor of Political Management Dennis Johnson knows the ins and outs of elections. A veteran of an estimated 25 campaigns, Johnson also has taught political science and political management since 1972, written and edited myriad books and journal articles on the subject, and guest lectured around the world.
“In my campaign days, I helped governors, U.S. senators, and members of Congress get elected, and even worked on issue campaigns, including whether or not a city should allow greyhound racing,” says Johnson.

Johnson began teaching political science in the early 1970s, holding down a job as an assistant professor at Augustana College in South Dakota while working on his doctorate from Duke University. He worked at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and then taught political science at Virginia Commonwealth University for 11 years before he decided to try his hand at political consulting in 1983.

In Johnson’s first foray into politics he served as an issues and policy expert for two campaigns, where he met and worked with Democratic political strategist James Carville. In his position, Johnson was responsible for researching the candidate’s and opponent’s public records and keeping the candidate aware of current events. “I was the guy whispering in the candidate’s ear the difference between a Sandinista rebel and a Nicaraguan freedom fighter,” he says.

Johnson gave up his tenured position at Virginia Commonwealth University, worked for a gubernatorial candidate, and landed a position in public policy at Dominion Resources, the electric utility conglomerate. He then headed to Washington in 1988 to become chief of staff for former Rep. Norman Sisisky (D-Va.). Johnson next joined Carville on the re-election campaign of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), a race he describes as “incredibly nasty.” For the following four years, Johnson worked as a political consultant from his basement, where he frequently contributed to five campaigns at a time.

“Campaigning is often 24/7,” he says. “I’ve been in races where you spend the last 20 weeks working hard every single day, surviving on cold pizza. You almost get into a bunker mentality.”

In 1992, Johnson taught as an adjunct in GW’s Department of Political Science and was asked to serve as director of the Master of Arts in Legislative Affairs program. The following year, he joined the Graduate School of Political Management, which had just moved to GW from its original home at Baruch College. He was associate dean of the school from 1993 to 2006, and continued to direct the master’s program until 2000. He currently teaches several classes, including Fundamentals of Political Management.

While he loved campaigning, Johnson does not miss the lifestyle. “Campaigning is fraught with uncertainty,” he says. “You never know when your candidate is going to be attacked, when someone is going to say something stupid, and when you are going to run out of money. You are at the whim of an electorate who may not be paying attention. I’m awfully glad I did it but awfully glad I’m not doing it now.”

Johnson has been hard at work on a series of books. Last year, a new edition of his No Place for Amateurs was published. In August, the Routledge Handbook on Political Management, a reference work featuring chapters written by experts worldwide and edited by Johnson, was published. Under his direction, GSPM has launched the Graduate School of Political Management Series on Applied Politics. Johnson will edit the first volume, to be released next year, analyzing the 2008 presidential election from the standpoint of tactics, strategy, and communications. Also slated for publication in 2009 is Johnson’s major work on landmark federal legislation, titled The Laws that Shaped America, as well as Campaigning in the Twenty-first Century, a book he is co-authoring.

In addition, Johnson and 30 of his students have collected and are analyzing more than 7,000 e-mails from all the 2008 presidential candidates for a journal article on how e-mail is used as a communications tool in modern campaigns.
So, what are the seasoned profes¬ sional’s predictions for the 2008 presidential election? Johnson believes the lagging economy, high gas prices, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and concerns over U.S. foreign policy will place Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in the White House.

“The Obama campaign has rewritten the rule book on online campaigning,” he says. “The discipline and imagina¬ tion of the team is very impressive—they have showed us once more the importance of professional election consultants in developing strategy, message, and carrying out a sophisticated election plan.”

Despite being constantly immersed in politics, Johnson finds time for his other interests. He plays the piano, harpsichord, and flute in his house by American University, where he lives with his wife, Linda, and two beagles, Annie and Ben. Johnson also is in his second year of learning Chinese and hopes to teach in China someday. In the meantime, there is one more goal he would like to accomplish at GW. In 1962, Johnson received a C+ in his freshman calculus class, and he has not forgotten that embarrassment.

“Before I leave GW, I am going to retake that course,” he says. “I want to erase that academic stain.”

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu