Johnson, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, said in the email, “I am announcing I will continue to fight for freedom in the public realm by running for re-election. It is not a decision I have made lightly.”
Johnson has also continued to try to shift blame away from Trump for the violence of January 6, 2021, suggesting that a small group of provocateurs may have been responsible for turning a largely peaceful protest of the 2020 election into a rampage that left five dead and about 140 police officers injured.
“Instead of everyone working to achieve the goal President Biden stated during his inaugural address—unifying and healing America—it feels as if our nation is being torn apart,” the Republican senator wrote criticizing policies by Democrats that he believes have failed Americans.
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Wisconsin Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, Alex Lasry, an executive with the Milwaukee Bucks and son of the franchise’s billionaire co-owner, local county executive Tom Nelson, radiologist Gillian Battino and others are running in the Senate Democratic primary in Wisconsin.
Democrats currently control the 50-50 Senate with the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.
This story has been updated.
CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.
