Adam Johnson, photographed carrying Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, has filed as a Republican for an at-large seat on the Manatee County Commission. He filed on the fifth anniversary of the riot and uses the viral image in his campaign branding. Johnson pleaded guilty in 2021 to entering a restricted building, served 75 days in jail, and was fined $5,000 with 200 hours of community service. He has also sued Manatee County over a separate dispute and says his campaign will focus on property taxes and development.
Man Who Carried Pelosi’s Podium on Jan. 6 Files to Run for Manatee County Commission
FILE - Rioters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
BRADENTON, Fla. — Adam Johnson, the man photographed carrying then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, has filed to run as a Republican for an at-large seat on the Manatee County Commission.
Campaign Filing and Branding
Johnson submitted his paperwork on the fifth anniversary of the Capitol riot. He was pictured smiling and waving as he carried the speaker’s podium through the Capitol after the building was breached, and his campaign logo uses an outline of that viral photograph. In an interview with WWSB-TV, Johnson said choosing Jan. 6 to file was "not a coincidence," calling the timing helpful to "get the buzz out there."
Legal History
Prosecutors say Johnson placed Pelosi’s lectern in the center of the Capitol Rotunda, posed for photographs and pretended to give a speech. He pleaded guilty in 2021 to the misdemeanor of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. Johnson told reporters he viewed the stunt as an exercise of his First Amendment rights and has compared his conviction to "jaywalking."
This photo made available on Friday, Jan. 8, 2020, by the Pinellas County, Fla., (Pinellas County Sheriff's Office via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
"I walked into a building, I took a picture with a piece of furniture, and I left," Johnson said, later calling the choice to pose with the podium a "very stupid idea" but noting he mainly regrets the prison time.
At sentencing, a judge ordered Johnson to serve 75 days in jail, followed by one year of supervised release, pay a $5,000 fine and complete 200 hours of community service. Prosecutors also say that after returning to Florida he boasted he had "broke the internet" and was "finally famous."
Local Issues and Lawsuit
Johnson has framed his campaign around local concerns, criticizing high property taxes and what he describes as excessive development in Manatee County, which lies south of Tampa. He has also filed a lawsuit in March 2025 against Manatee County and six commissioners after the county declined to seek attorney’s fees from a plaintiff who later dropped a suit; county officials characterized Johnson’s claims as "completely meritless and unsupported by law."
Political Context
So far, four other Republicans have filed to run in the Aug. 18 primary for the at-large seat in this strongly Republican county; the incumbent is not seeking re-election. Johnson is one of several people linked to the Jan. 6 riot who have pursued public office — at least three others ran for Congress in 2024 but were unsuccessful — and some defendants pardoned or spared full penalties have signaled political ambitions.
What To Watch: Voters will weigh Johnson’s legal history and public remarks alongside his positions on taxes, development and local governance as the primary approaches.
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