While working as a consultant for a non-profit that saw its revenue spike during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Republican State Treasurer candidate Drew Johnson still claimed hardship to the federal government, asking for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan to “save the jobs” of himself and his wife.
The $15,353 loan, like nearly every PPP loan, was later forgiven.
According to LinkedIn, Johnson has worked as a “senior fellow” for a Washington, D.C.- based think tank, the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), since 2017.
NCPPR’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filings reported $8.22 million in revenue in 2020 and $13.11 million in 2022—a 59 percent increase.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) records show Lambent Interactive LLC received a PPP loan of $15,353, facilitated by Itria Ventures LLC of New York, on Jan. 29, 2021, to save the jobs of its two employees.
The State of Nevada has Johnson and his wife, Sarah Reeves Johnson, listed as Lambent Interactive LLC’s two managers.
In 2022, Johnson told the Nevada Secretary of State that Lambent Interactive, LLC was his only source of income that year.
In 2023, on a financial disclosure report for the U.S. House of Representatives, ahead of a run for Congress, Johnson again listed Lambent Interactive, LLC as his primary source of income, stating his personal salary as $46,000 for 2023 and $54,000 for 2022.
Johnson said his wife, Sarah, earned $40,000 in 2023 from the State of Nevada.
Sarah Reeves Johnson worked as a communications staff member in the Nevada Lieutenant Governor’s Office from Jan 2023 through July 2025.
According to LinkedIn, Sarah Johnson founded a digital consulting firm, Spotlight Liberty, in July 2012, which she still operates today.
Johnson moved to Las Vegas in 2015.
He has run unsuccessfully twice for public office.
In 2024, Johnson won a seven-way GOP primary before losing to incumbent U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (D-3). Lee won with 51.4 percent of the vote to Johnson’s 48.6 percent.
In 2022, Johnson challenged incumbent Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones for the District F seat, but lost by 336 votes.
A Johnson City, Tennessee native, Johnson attended Belmont University in Nashville, graduating in 2001. He later earned a master’s degree in public policy from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
