candidate profile: eddie bernice johnson

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson is a proud Dallas Democrat. She currently represents the 30th District of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. Born in Waco, Johnson was educated in Texas at both Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University.

Rep. Johnson was elected to the Texas State House of Representatives in 1972 and the Texas State Senate in 1986. She was later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, a position she still holds, in 1992, when she became the first woman and the first African-American to represent the Dallas area in Washington, D.C. She is also the Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. According to her official House website, "Congresswoman Johnson sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and serves as the Ranking Democratic Member of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. As the Ranking Texan on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, she has secured millions of dollars for Texas development, and has helped Dallas-Fort Worth become one of the fastest growing business areas in the country."

EBJ was a vocal critic of the Iraq War before it even began. In 2002, she made the following statement on the floor of the House:

"I am not convinced that giving the President the authority to launch a unilateral, first-strike attack on Iraq is the appropriate course of action at this time. While I believe that under international law and under the authority of our Constitution, the United States must maintain the option to act in its own self-defense, I strongly believe that the administration has not provided evidence of an imminent threat of attack on the United States that would justify a unilateral strike. I also believe that actions alone, without exhausting peaceful options, could seriously harm global support for our war on terrorism and distract our own resources from this cause."

Congresswoman Johnson is on top of things not only at a national level, but also when it comes to her constituency. She has been a key player in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans. She has secured extra grants from FEMA for the city of Dallas as it housed (and still houses in many cases) the majority of the evacuees. She has also brought home grants for anti-gang intiatives and the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center. Her accomplishments are numerous and too many to detail here.

During her first seven terms, Johnson has received 100% rankings from NARAL, the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP, Planned Parenthood, the Humane Society of America, the AFL-CIO, the American Bar Association, and countless other organizations and unions.

EBJ is a Dallas favorite. We have consistently re-elected her to Congress since 1992. Let's not stop now. Feel proud and confident as you cast your ballot for incumbent Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson come November.