Jermaine Johnson

Johnson was born in Los Angeles on July 4, 1985, and, according to his Wikipedia biography, spent part of his childhood in housing instability before basketball gave him access to preparatory schools.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston in 2008, where he played basketball, a master's degree from Strayer University in 2014 and a doctorate in business administration from Northcentral University in 2018.[1][5] He played professional basketball from 2009 to 2015, including more than six years overseas, and later became an adjunct professor at Webster University.[1][5]

Johnson was a Richland County recreation commissioner from 2016 to 2020 and owns a consulting firm, DT Consulting Firm, LLC.[5] In 2020 he defeated longtime Democratic incumbent Jimmy Bales in the primary for House District 80 and took office in December 2020.[1][6] After redistricting he won a contested 2022 primary in District 70 by 115 votes over Rep. Wendy Brawley, and he now represents District 52 in Kershaw and Richland counties.[1][5] He serves on the House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, and on January 14, 2026 he announced that he would not seek re-election to the House in order to focus on the governor's race.[1][6] His campaign says his accomplishments in office include expanding broadband access, repairing roads and bridges and creating the Lower Richland Tech Academy.[2]

Johnson formed an exploratory committee in May 2025 and announced his campaign for governor on October 28, 2025, calling himself a "different kind of Democrat."[1][6] He became the Democratic nominee on June 9, 2026, and chose Charleston businessman Sam Skardon as his running mate.[1][3] He is married and has three children and lives in Hopkins.[5]