Pardoned January 6 defendant runs for Florida political office | Florida
A Florida man who was convicted and then pardoned by Donald Trump after taking House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern and posing for a photo with her during the U.S. Capitol riot is running for county speaker.
Adam Johnson announced his candidacy Tuesday as the Republican candidate for an at-large seat on the Manatee County commission. This was the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot, when Pelosi was photographed smiling and waving as she carried her lectern following the 2021 attack by the pro-Trump mob.
Johnson told WWSB-TV that it was “no coincidence” that he filed for the nomination on Jan. 6, adding: “It’s definitely good for generating excitement.” His campaign logo is a sketch of his viral photo carrying the podium.
He is far from the first person implicated in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack to run for office. At least three of them failed to run for Congress as Republicans in 2024. And there are signs that the Republican party is welcoming back more people convicted of crimes committed on Jan. 6 after Trump pardoned them.
Jake Lang, who was accused of assaulting an officer, disrupting civil order and other crimes before being pardoned, recently announced he is running for the Senate seat in Florida vacated by Marco Rubio.
Prosecutors said Johnson placed the lectern in the center of the Capitol Rotunda, posed for photos and pretended to give a speech. Pleaded guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds in 2021; this was a misdemeanor he equated in the interview with “jaywalking.”
“I think I exercised my first amendment right to speak and protest,” Johnson said.
Prosecutors said Johnson bragged after returning home that he had “broken the internet” and was “finally famous.”
Johnson was sentenced to 75 days in jail followed by one year of probation. The judge also ordered Johnson to pay a $5,000 fine and perform 200 hours of community service.
Johnson told U.S. district judge Reggie Walton that posing with Pelosi’s lectern during sentencing was “a very stupid idea,” but now says he only regrets the action because of the prison sentence.
“I entered a building, took a photo with a piece of furniture, and left,” he says nowadays.
Four other Republicans have filed to run so far in the Aug. 18 primary in a deeply Republican district. The incumbent is not seeking re-election.
In March 2025, Johnson filed a lawsuit against Manatee County and its six commissioners, challenging the county’s decision not to seek attorney fees from someone who sued the county and dropped the case. The state called Johnson’s allegations “completely unfounded and unsupported by law.”
Johnson said he opposes high property taxes and overdevelopment in the county south of Tampa and claims current county leaders are wasteful.
“I will be more heavily scrutinized than any other candidate running in this race,” Johnson said. “This is a positive and good takeaway for every citizen because for once in our lives we will know that our local politicians are doing something.”
