Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
Longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, announced Saturday she is not running for reelection after serving nearly three decades in Congress.
“I have gone back and forth … the whole time because of the pleading and the asking, but as of January … the year after next, I will step down,” Johnson said during an event in Dallas. “I will retire, and let me assure that I will also recommend to you whom I feel is the best to follow me.”
Johnson added she is looking for a “female that is qualified.”
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.
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The decision Johnson announced Saturday is consistent with what she told constituents in 2019 — that her current term would be her last. However, since winning reelection last year, she had declined to confirm that, fueling speculation about whether she would reverse herself in recent months.
Democrats began to circle her seat as questions about her 2022 plans persisted. In May, Jane Hope Hamilton, a former top staffer for Joe Biden’s campaign in Texas, launched an exploratory committee for the seat, saying she would run if Johnson chose not to seek reelection. And last month, Abel Mulugheta, the former chief of staff to state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, announced an outright campaign for the seat. Jessica Mason, a Navy veteran and progressive activist, is also running for the Democratic nomination.
Toward the end of her speech Saturday, Johnson was emphatic that she would endorse in the race to replace her, saying “I would appreciate you appreciating my judgment.”
“Anybody that’s been already been rejected in this district, they will not be receiving my endorsement,” Johnson said, a likely reference to Barbara Mallory Caraway, who has repeatedly challenged Johnson in primary elections over the years.
A trailblazer and a force to be reckoned with, Rep. Johnson will be missed in Congress. I’ll be very interested to see who she endorses. I wish Rep. Johnson all the best with the next phase of her life. Texas Public Radio, CNN, and the DMN have more.
There may be as many candidates as the GOP had in TX-21 when Lamar Smith retired.
I’d watch Jane Hamilton, state rep Toni Rose, state rep Yvonne Davis, possibly state rep Jasmine Crockett, and former judge Elizabeth Frizell. I think state rep Carl Sherman will look at it but won’t run. Not sure if former DeSoto councilwoman Candice Quarles will run. There will be former city councilpersons, and ex disd school board members, maybe a couple prominent attorneys or businessmen who probably will run as well.
The big question is if Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson decides to get into the race. I think he’d have to resign to run so I’m skeptical at this point. He’s the only man with the kind of name ID that can break through in a primary that will be dominated by the black female electorate in Dallas County since Royce West and county commissioner Price aren’t running.
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