On the recordMay 22, 2015
I thank the senior Senator from the State of Montana, Mr. Tester. I also rise today to recognize the career and service of Chuck Johnson, a longtime Montanan, a Montana reporter who will be entering into a well-deserved retirement at the end of next week. Chuck's career covering Montana politics began more than 40 years ago when he was asked to cover the Montana Constitutional Convention for the Associated Press. Since then, he has covered nearly two dozen sessions of the Montana State Legislature and countless political conventions. I remember seeing Chuck late at night at conventions, giving up a lot of his personal time for the sake of covering these stories across our State. He has covered hundreds of elected officials and has been a steady presence on Montana's campaign trail. Over the past two decades, Chuck has led political reporting for Lee Newspapers, and he spent the past 10 years working alongside his fellow Lee State Bureau colleague Mike Dennison. If it has to do with Montana politics, Chuck has probably covered it. I am told Chuck has the best political campaign button collection in all of Montana. Chuck's life has been spent in Montana. He grew up in Helena, and he went on to earn his degree in journalism at the University of Montana. I can speak as a Montana State Bobcat. I know that Chuck is a testament to the quality of journalists produced by the University of Montana School of Journalism.…
