Through Sharelle B. McNair
January 12, 2026
Adam Johnson hopes to “bring MAGA principles to the provincial government and root out the corruption that has cost you money and destroyed our quality of life.”
Unlike others convicted of crimes, members of the pro-Donald Trump, anti-Joe Biden mob of January 6, like Adam Johnson, get a second chance– by running for political office in Florida.
Johnson, who was photographed taking former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s podium, filed as a Republican for an at-large seat on the Manatee County Commission on the fifth anniversary of the attack.
In the now iconic shot, Johnson smiled and waved, podium in hand, as someone took a shot. His campaign logo, according to the Associated Press, is a sketch of the viral photo of him carrying the podium.
On January 6, 2021, he positioned the stage in the center of the Capitol Rotunda and pretended to give a speech while posing for photos.
Johnson claimed he was “exercising” his “First Amendment right to speak and protest,” which led to him pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. He said he used the Jan. 6 filing date to his advantage, saying that “it’s definitely good to get attention.”
Johnson, also known as “the stage man,” once bragged that he was “finally famous” and claimed he had “broke the internet.” His thoughts went back and forth as he told U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton during the sentencing that he thought posing on Pelosi’s podium was a “very stupid idea” and that he regretted it because it led to prison time.
Johnson has since downplayed the incident, saying: “I walked into a building, took a photo with a piece of furniture and left.”
Located near Tampa Bay, Johnson has been on a rift with Manatee County since March 2025. He then filed a lawsuit against the county and six of its commissioners, challenging the county’s decision not to obtain attorneys’ fees from someone who had sued the county and dropped the lawsuit.
In response, Manatee called Johnson’s claims “completely meritless and unsupported by the law.”
Furthermore, he labeled provincial leaders as wasteful by opposing the province’s high property taxes and overdevelopment. “I will be scrutinized more than any other candidate entering this race,” Johnson said. “This is a positive and good lesson for every citizen because for once in our lives we will know our local politicians doing things.”
It is expected that Johnson will do so compete against four others Republican candidates, said The hill.
According to his campaign websitehe hopes to “bring MAGA principles to the provincial government and root out the corruption that has cost you money and destroyed our quality of life.”
He is one of several indicted insurgents who have run for office since the January 6 uprising.
Jake Lang, who was pardoned after being charged with assault on an officer, civil disorder and more, announced his campaign to run for Florida’s vacant U.S. Senate seat after former Sen. Marco Rubio was named Trump administration secretary of state.
The administration seems ready for it those who had served time and were pardoned for participating in the attacks. A website launched by the White House accused Democrats of “masterfully inverting reality” and claimed the pardons “corrected a historic injustice” against individuals who had been “unjustly punished.”
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