Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) is doubling down on his decision to seek re-election in his state, after breaking his pledge not to seek a third term.
The Republican politician had promised to make his second term his last in the Senate ahead of his reelection in 2016.
Soon after announcing that he would indeed be running once more, he explained his rationale for doing so to Fox News host Maria Bartiromo.
"There are many factors. It wasn't an easy decision,” Johnson began.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) defends breaking his term limit pledge by claiming that he "loves America" and that he is a "truth-teller" who is being censored.
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 9, 2022
*Sen. Johnson has been spouting COVID misinformation and Russian talking points for years. pic.twitter.com/dK8lRbL3Lg
“But I think probably the easiest way to put it is that I love America dearly. I love the American people. I love the folks in Wisconsin and I think this country is in trouble. I think Democrats in power in Washington have put us on a very dangerous path and I think I'm in a position to help improve things."
Johnson, who is one of former President Donald Trump’s biggest supporters, went on to claim that his presence is needed after the public lost trust “throughout America.”
"It really just boils down — it's that simple. We need to restore confidence in so many institutions within — throughout America, whether it's in governmental agencies, whether it's in media, in big tech. People have lost confidence. And the only way I can see restoring confidence is we need to ask a lot of questions, we need to get some answers, we need accountability,” he shared.
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Johnson also proudly credited the fact that it’s because he is a “truth-teller” that he should be reelected.
"We need the truth and unfortunately the truth is being censored today at an alarming, very disconcerting rate. And so, I'm just one of those truth-tellers. I ask tough questions, I try and get answers,” he said, to which Bartiromo agreed, and called him a "truth-teller."
Johnson concluded, “But when I tell the truth, the truths that the media elite, the governing elite don't want to hear, I get censored, I get attacked, I get vilified but it doesn't deter me. And I think we need people who are willing to seek the truth.”