Johnson led the campaign advocating the Third Frontier program, a large state bond issue to finance industrial research and development, which Governor Taft had championed. Critics such as Representative Tom Brinkman, a Republican of Cincinnati, called it "corporate welfare". Johnson after its defeat by the voters in November 2003 told "The Plain Dealer" the plan was not dead. "There will definitely be continuing efforts to fund this strategy, because it’s the right strategy. So you don’t drop it. You continue to encourage state funding. But it’s certainly more challenging," he said, after the failure." Johnson turned out to be right. In 2005, Johnson was the point man on the Third Frontier campaign again, but this time voters in Ohio approved State Issue One which allocated dollars to support technology and innovation. Johnson served as the Chairman of the Third Frontier Commission. In May, 2010 the voters renewed the Third Frontier once again.