Johnson is among a growing number of people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 riot who have entered electoral politics, a trend that has accelerated since former President Donald Trump pardoned many defendants. His filing joins four other Republican candidates in an Aug. 18 primary for an open seat in a deeply conservative county south of Tampa.
BRADENTON, Fla. — Adam Johnson, the Florida man whose photograph carrying then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s podium through the U.S. Capitol became one of the most recognizable images of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot, filed Tuesday to run as a Republican for an at-large seat on the Manatee County Commission.
Johnson filed his candidacy on Jan. 6, 2026 — the fifth anniversary of the Capitol attack. He told WWSB-TV it was “not a coincidence,” saying it was “definitely good for getting the buzz out there.” His campaign logo is an outline of the viral photograph of him carrying the podium.
He enters a five-candidate Republican primary for an open seat in a deeply conservative county south of Tampa. The primary is scheduled for Aug. 18. The incumbent is not seeking reelection.
Conviction and sentence
Johnson pleaded guilty in 2021 to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, a misdemeanor — a charge he has since compared to “jaywalking.”
Prosecutors said Johnson placed Pelosi’s podium in the center of the Capitol Rotunda, posed for pictures, and pretended to make a speech. 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. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton also ordered him to pay a $5,000 fine and perform 200 hours of community service. Johnson told Judge Walton at sentencing that posing with the podium was a “very stupid idea,” but he now says he regrets the action only because it resulted in a prison sentence.
“I walked into a building, I took a picture with a piece of furniture, and I left,” Johnson said.
“I think I exercised my First Amendment right to speak and protest,” Johnson said.
Jan. 6 defendants in electoral politics
Johnson is far from the first person implicated in the Jan. 6 riot to seek elected office. According to the Associated Press, at least three ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2024 as Republicans. The Republican Party has shown signs of welcoming back people convicted of Jan. 6 offenses since Trump pardoned many defendants.
Jake Lang, who was charged with assaulting an officer, civil disorder, and other crimes before being pardoned, recently announced he is running for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Local record and campaign pitch
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 a plaintiff who had sued the county and then dropped the case. Manatee County called Johnson’s claims “completely meritless and unsupported by law.”
Johnson said he objects to high property taxes and overdevelopment in the county, describing current leaders as 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.”