Mike Johanns
Michael Owen "Mike" Johanns (born June 18, 1950) is a former United States Senator from Nebraska, serving from 2009 to 2015. He served as the Governor of Nebraska from 1999 until 2005, and he was chair of the Midwestern Governors Association in 2002. In 2005, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the Secretary of Agriculture, where he served from 2005 from 2007, becoming the fourth Nebraskan to hold that position. Born in Osage, Iowa, Johanns is the graduate of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and Creighton University School of Law. He began his career as an attorney working in private practice before he clerked for the Nebraska Supreme Court. Elected to the Lancaster County Board as a Democrat in 1983, Johanns served there until 1987, and was elected to the Lincoln City Council in 1988. In 1991, he was elected the 47th Mayor of Lincoln, and was reelected in 1995. In Nebraska's 1998 gubernatorial election, Johanns defeated Democratic political aide Bill Hoppner and was reelected in 2002 defeating insurance executive Stormy Dean. In 2008, Johanns ran for the Republican nomination to replace retiring U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel. He won the Republican primary, defeating businessman Pat Flynn; and later won the general election, defeating Democratic challenger Scott Kleeb. He was sworn in on January 3, 2009; and along with Jim Risch of Idaho, he became only one of two new Republican senators sworn into the 111th United States Congress. On February 18, 2013, Johanns announced that he would not run for reelection to a second term in 2014.