Western Minnesota Values Are American Values
On July 4th, 1776, the following words were forever etched into the minds of Americans.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
As your representative, I will work to ensure that we, as a country, live up to those words.
Here in Western Minnesota, we chafe at unreasonable restrictions that limit liberty, our ability to earn a living and live our lives to the utmost. I want to reduce those restrictions from the federal level. I believe in a limited federal Government only large enough to fulfil the duties assigned to it by the Constitution. The words “shall not be infringed” are pretty plain speaking. For years, the rights granted by the Bill of Rights have been gradually chipped away, especially the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 10th amendments: I intend to work to rectify that. I will work to defend those who cannot defend themselves, shrink Government, restore civil liberties, and remove restrictions placed on our small businesses. I will never forget who I work for, the people of Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District.
MEET TRAVIS JOHNSON
Travis grew up in the town of Larose in Southeast Louisiana. He often explains, “any further south and I would have gotten my feet wet!” The area is known for its agriculture, oilfields, and the seafood industry.
After graduating high school, Travis worked in the oil industry, and for the American Red Cross. In 1991, he entered the Army where he served as a payroll clerk until 1997.
In 1993 he met his wife, Terri (Weber) Johnson. They had two children; Christopher, who is studying engineering at the University of North Dakota, and Alexis, who graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus in 2019 with a degree in linguistics. In 2020 they were blessed to add a daughter, Jamee, to their family. She will be a Senior at Crookston High school.
After leaving the army in 1997, the Johnson’s settled in the Twin Cities area for one Minnesota winter before being transferred to Texas. Between 1997 and 2004 Travis worked in the auto industry, both rentals and sales. But, he missed serving.
In 2004, Travis joined the Texas National Guard. By November of that year, he was preparing for deployment to the Middle East, and in January 2005 he was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While on deployment he realized how much he missed serving his country. He transferred back to active duty where he remained until 2018, when he retired as a Sergeant First Class and moved back to Minnesota.
Travis’s assignments included duty stations in Germany, Atlanta, Kuwait, Colorado, Iraq, Portugal, South Korea, Washington DC (twice), and Amman, Jordan. His duties included Detachment Sergeant, Budget NCO, Military Pay Manager for Korea, and Defense Attaché Staff NCO at the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan.
While in the military he completed a bachelor’s degree in human resources with the University of Maryland/University Campus, and a master’s in international relations with a concentration on conflict resolution from the American Military University. He is currently enrolled at the University of Minnesota-Crookston where he is pursuing an animal science degree.
When Travis retired in June of 2018, he and his family moved to Beltrami, MN, where they settled on an 8-acre homestead. They also have 40-acres they use to raise kinder goats, belted galloway cattle, swine, and poultry.
For 20 years, Travis served in the Army. He served his country, and his fellow Soldiers. Running for Congress gives him the opportunity to continue to do what he loves. This time, he’ll be serving not only his country, but all the constituents in MN District 07 as a member of the House of Representatives.