Showing posts with label Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson. Show all posts

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Eddie Bernice Johnson endorses Jasmine Crockett for her House seat

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) endorsed Texas state House Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) for the House seat she has held for decades.

Crockett announced her candidacy soon after Johnson said she would be retiring.

"A vibrant congressional district like TX-30 needs a representative in Washington with high energy, a passion to fight for us, shrewd intelligence, leadership, and an incessant drive," Johnson said in a statement soon after Crockett announced her run, The Dallas Morning News reported.

"After proudly serving the City of Dallas and Southern sector for 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, I firmly believe that Texas State Representative Jasmine Crockett is just the person we need in Congress at this critical time," she added.

Crockett said in a statement, "The Congresswoman was one or the first Black women elected to the Texas House and I am the most recent - this responsibility has not been lost on me."

"I intend to honor their service by continuing their legacy of coalition building, fierce bravery, and relentless tenacity in the halls of Congress," she added.

Saturday, November 20, 2021

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson announces retirement after almost 30 years in Congress

Longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, announced Saturday she is not running for reelection after serving nearly three decades in Congress.

First elected to Congress in 1992, Johnson, 85, is among its most senior members — the longest-serving member from Texas — and serves as dean of the Texas delegation. She chairs the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

A former state legislator, Johnson is known for breaking barriers. She was the first Black woman ever elected to public office in Dallas when she won a state House seat in 1972. She went on to become the first registered nurse to ever serve in Congress.

Speaking Saturday surrounded by family, Johnson emphasized her longtime advocacy for funding for Dallas Area Rapid Transit, the city's public transit agency, calling it "my baby from the first day that I got there." She also highlighted her role in helping flip Dallas County for Democrats in 2006.

“I’m proud of what I’ve done because there is no Texan in the history of this state who has brought more home," Johnson said, reflecting on how she had to work across party lines during long stretches in the minority. "As much as we trash the names of some of the Republicans. they were some of the same ones that helped me be successful."

The decision Johnson announced Saturday is consistent with what she told constituents in 2019 — that her current term would be her last.