Shawn Johnson

Shawn Johnson has covered the state Capitol for Wisconsin Public Radio since 2004.

His stories can be heard regularly on WPR’s newscasts, he’s a frequent guest on the network’s talk shows and he’s an occasional contributor to PBS Wisconsin. Shawn has co-hosted three podcasts for WPR, including “The WPR Politics Podcast,” “Derailed” and “Mapped Out.” His stories have also been featured on National Public Radio.

Shawn worked previously for public radio station WUIS-FM in Springfield, IL, where he covered state government and rural affairs. Prior to that, he was an assistant producer and online producer for WBBM-AM in Chicago.

Shawn received his bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his master’s degree in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

You can reach Shawn at shawn.johnson@wpr.org or follow him on Twitter @SJohnsonWPR.

Public weighs in on rules for Wisconsin election observers
Members of the public weighed in Wednesday on a plan that would spell out what election observers can — and can’t do — at Wisconsin polling places.
April 24, 2024
Waukesha DA won’t pursue charges against Brandtjen
Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper says she won’t pursue criminal charges against state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, a Menomonee Falls Republican who allegedly violated campaign finance laws to support the primary opponent of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.
April 19, 2024
Trump, Baldwin hold narrow Wisconsin leads in latest Marquette poll
Wisconsin could again be one of a handful of states that decide the presidency, not to mention control of the U.S. Senate.
April 17, 2024
Wisconsin Elections Commission votes 5-0 to reject Vos recall effort
The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted Thursday to reject a recall petition against Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, saying organizers failed to gather enough signatures to force an election.
April 11, 2024
With the election months away, Hovde has Republican US Senate field largely to himself
When former President Donald Trump threw his weight behind U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde, he may have helped Wisconsin Republicans avoid some of the interparty divisions that have hurt them in recent statewide races.
April 4, 2024
In swing state Wisconsin, presidential primary lacks drama and choices
There’s a presidential primary coming up in Wisconsin, but for the first time in years, voters are finding that some of the political fervor that they’re used to is missing.
March 28, 2024
Vos calls recall organizers ‘whack jobs’ and ‘morons’
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos unleashed a string of insults Tuesday to describe the people who organized a recall effort against him, calling them “whack jobs,” “morons” and “fraudsters” who had waged their campaign in the name of “grift.”
March 19, 2024
GOP bill would force state agencies to plan for AI, job cuts
State agencies would have to develop plans to use artificial intelligence — including how they’ll cut their workforce — under a measure passed by Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly Thursday.
February 16, 2024
Assembly Republicans pass tax cuts that would spend down Wisconsin’s budget surplus
Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly have passed a package of tax cuts that would reduce income tax collections by roughly $1.4 billion per year, with targeted cuts for retirees, married couples and parents.
February 14, 2024
Republicans pass Evers’ legislative maps as redistricting saga nears possible finish line
Republicans in the state Legislature have passed new legislative district lines that are identical to those drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in their latest attempt to enact new maps before the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority does it for them.
February 13, 2024

Shawn Johnson

Latest Posts