The National Education Association (NEA), the largest labor union in the United States, is supporting Jake Johnson in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District. This is NEA’s first Minnesota recommendation of the 2026 cycle, demonstrating just how committed Jake is to students, educators, and working families across southern Minnesota.

“Jake Johnson is a champion for America’s students and Minnesota’s working families,” said Becky Pringle, NEA President. “As an educator and union member, he has dedicated his life to helping his students thrive and strengthening his community. Jake is someone who knows how critical it is to ensure that every student – no matter their background, race or ZIP code – has access to quality public schools. Jake will fight to expand learning opportunities for our students and to stop efforts to divert funding from the 90 percent of our students who attend public school into unaccountable, discriminatory private schools through vouchers. He'll continue working to level the playing field for working families, while getting things done to lift up students, educators, and communities across Minnesota. That is why the National Education Association is proud to recommend Jake Johnson for Congress in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District.”

“For me, standing up for students, teachers, and working families isn’t theoretical. It’s what I’ve done every day for 20 years,” said Jake Johnson. “I know what it means when teachers and parents can’t afford basic supplies, and when students come in hungry on Mondays because their families don’t have enough to eat on the weekend. It’s time that we elect a representative to Congress who will stop defunding public education and start investing in our local communities.”

Jake grew up in Stewartville, the son of a garbage man and a meter reader, with 10 siblings. Jake worked hard to make it into the middle class, supported along the way by his public school teachers, his church community, and programs like SNAP. Jake has spent the past 20 years as a math teacher in Rochester Public Schools. As a leader in his teachers’ union, he has served as its Government Relations Coordinator, been on three bargaining committees, and helped secure more resources for 1,000 workers and 15,000 students in southern Minnesota. Jake and his wife Molly, a paraprofessional who works with deaf and hard-of-hearing kids, are now raising four boys who attend public schools.

Jake is running for Congress to make life affordable in southern Minnesota, so that the next generation can also realize their American Dream.

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