CBCTC Endorsed Building Trades Leader Elected State Representative

Mark Johnson, Business Manager for the Tri-State Building and Construction Trades Council, was elected as an Ohio State Representative.

Johnson cruised to victory on Election Day and will represent the residents of Ohio’s 92nd District, which includes Ross, Pickaway and Fayette counties. According to unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, Johnson received 34,033 votes (67 percent), while Beth Workman picked up 16,810 votes (33 percent).

Johnson succeeds Rep. Gary Scherer (R-Circleville), who could not seek reelection due to term limits.

With the win, Johnson (R-Chillicothe), who was endorsed by the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, becomes the only member of the building trades currently serving as a state representative in Ohio.

He credited his victory to hard work, a positive message and building relationships.

Unlike his opponent, who opted for more of an attack campaign, Johnson stayed positive and focused on the issues of his constituents. His campaign focused on supporting workers and giving them the tools to succeed.

“You have to work hard to get the rural vote,” he said. “This is not a strong building trades market.”

Johnson developed a team of supporters in each county, which played a huge role in his victory. His team embraced his stances on the issues and helped spread the message. One volunteer even knocked on more than 2,600 doors in Fayette County, Johnson said.

“I only knew one person in Fayette County when this all started, but we built a strong team, who worked hard,” he said.

Johnson himself put in a great deal of campaign effort. He spent every Saturday knocking on doors, and attended numerous evening events and meetings nearly every weeknight. When Election Day finally arrived, he was glad the campaign was over.

“I felt beat down at times, but my supporters kept telling me to work hard and we’d win,” added Johnson.

Entering Election Day, Johnson was considered the favorite to win the 92nd House seat, as the district is rural and heavily Republican.

Once the unofficial results were tallied, he realized he surpassed all expectations – even garnering more votes than President Trump in Fayette County.

Now with the election over, Johnson is beginning to turn his thoughts to the legislature, where he could become the face of the Ohio Building Trades in the Statehouse during the upcoming term.