Ms. Johnson is an accountant, and has worked as a bartender and bookkeeper.

A controversial figure, she served in the Laconia School Board for two terms, and one term as a NH State Representative serving Laconia. She was also a mayoral candidate for Laconia in 2024, but lost 2,146 to 790. She’s notorious for her temper, walking out of County Delegation and school board meetings, and with five others, boycotting a pivotal Delegation meeting deciding the future of the Gunstock Area Commission.

​Ms. Johnson, along with candidates Terry and Silber, was a sponsor of House Bill 1078 to transfer control of Gunstock's budget to the Belknap delegation. This was another case of overreach by the delegation in their ongoing effort to micromanage Gunstock's management team and control Gunstock's operation. The bill was killed in committee - declared "inexpedient to legislate" by a vote of 19 - 0. Read the text of the bill.

Ms. Johnson was Endorsed by a Libertarian/Free Stater Group in 2022
The Liberty Alliance is a group that promotes an extreme Libertarian and Free State Libertarian agenda. They have rate all 424 of New Hampshire's legislators in terms of how well each of them conforms to their brand of Libertarian values. Ms. Johnson, who pretends to be a Republican on the ballot, received high marks from this extreme group in the past, and we expect a similar rating in 2024. Republicans may want to take this fringe endorsement under consideration before casting a ballot.

Johnson Posted an Anti-Semitic Cartoon on her Facebook Page
In late 2020, Ms. Johnson posted on her Facebook page an anti-Semitic cartoon that originated from the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website. After public outrage, the cartoon was removed. Ms. Johnson apologized for posting it, but did not disavow its content. A later meeting with Temple B’Nai Israel intended to repair the damage also went badly, as the article below notes.

On July 25, 2024, Ms. Johnson reminded us all of the event in her letter to the Laconia Daily Sun, which stated, “As for the repeated accusations by these letter writers of me having a history of posting antisemitic content — that is a total lie. Yes, I had one post several years ago that appeared to include an antisemitic statement which when I found out about its content, I immediately took it down and apologized, as this is not who I am in any way. Now these letter writers feel they can defame me for this one mistake and continually lie about my character.”.

Here are links to three contemporaneous articles on the subject:

NHPR - Anti-Semitic Post Brings Calls For Laconia State Rep To Resign

​InDepth NH - Sununu Condemns Rep. Johnson, Neo-Nazi Defends

Laconia Daily Sun - ​Temple Meeting with Dawn Johnson Derails

​Violated NH Meeting Transparency Laws
Ms. Johnson, as a member of the Gunstock Area Commission's "audit committee" participated in two secret meetings of the committee, apparently violating New Hamsphire's 91-a public meetings requirements. As state representatives sworn to uphold NH's constitution, they not only knew better, they failed the voters of Belknap County.

Laconia Daily Sun - As Gunstock audit finally arrives, committee's lack of Right to Know compliance raises questions about public access, transparency