A Florida man who was convicted then pardoned by Donald Trump after he grabbed then House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern and posed for photographs with it during the US Capitol riot is running for county office.
Adam Johnson filed to run as a Republican for an at-large seat on the Manatee county commission on Tuesday. That was the fifth anniversary of the January 6 riot, when he was photographed smiling and waving as he carried Pelosi’s lectern after the pro-Trump mob’s attack in 2021.
Johnson told WWSB-TV that it was “not a coincidence” that he filed to run for office on 6 January, saying: “It’s definitely good for getting the buzz out there.” His campaign logo is an outline of the viral photograph of him carrying the lectern.
He’s far from the first person implicated in the January 6 Capitol attack to run for office. At least three ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2024 as Republicans. And there are signs that the Republican party is welcoming back more people who were convicted of January 6 offenses after Trump pardoned them.
Jake Lang, who was charged with assaulting an officer, civil disorder and other crimes before he was pardoned, recently announced he is running for the Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio in Florida.
Johnson placed the lectern in the center of the Capitol Rotunda, posed for pictures and pretended to make a speech, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty in 2021 of entering and remaining in a restricted building or ground, a misdemeanor that he equated to “jaywalking” in the interview.
“I think I exercised my first amendment right to speak and protest,” Johnson said.
After driving home, Johnson bragged that he “broke the internet” and was “finally famous”, prosecutors said.
Johnson served 75 days in prison followed by one year of supervised release. The judge also ordered Johnson to pay a $5,000 fine and perform 200 hours of community service.
Johnson told US district judge Reggie Walton at his sentencing that posing with Pelosi’s lectern was a “very stupid idea”, but now says he only regrets his action because of the prison sentence.
“I walked into a building, I took a picture with a piece of furniture and I left,” he now says.
Four other Republicans have filed to run so far in the 18 August primary in what is a deeply Republican county. The incumbent isn’t seeking re-election.
In March 2025, Johnson filed a lawsuit against Manatee county and six of its commissioners, objecting to the county’s decision not to seek attorney’s fees from someone who sued the county and dropped the lawsuit. The county has called Johnson’s claims “completely meritless and unsupported by law”.
Johnson said he objects to high property taxes and overdevelopment in the county south of Tampa, claiming current county leaders are wasteful.
“I will be more heavily scrutinized than any other candidate who is running in this race,” Johnson said. “This is a positive and a good takeaway for every single citizen, because for once in our life, we will know our local politicians who are doing things.”
