Candidate for governor offers progressive choice

Connie Johnson said she's running for governor because she wants to be a voice for the people.

A former Democratic state senator, legislative staffer and U.S. senator candidate, Johnson said she has 35 years of experience serving the people of Oklahoma and she wants to bring that experience to the governor's office.

Johnson was in Lawton this week to talk to local Democrats about her campaign and to open her office at 4645 W. Gore, as she and other candidates prepare for the 2018 gubernatorial race that will mean a new face in the governor's mansion because Gov. Mary Fallin cannot seek re-election.

Veteran lawmaker

Johnson has won her name as a progressive in a conservative state, someone who is socially conscious and a woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind on even controversial issues. She served as a state senator for northern Oklahoma County after winning a special election in 2005 and until she retired in 2014, and was a legislative analyst for the Senate from 1981 to 2005. Along the way, the woman with a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling also has worked at the Oklahoma Community Action Director's Association and as a personal assistant within the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

Read more: http://www.swoknews.com/area/candidate-governor-offers-progressive-choice (The Lawton Constitution)