Long-serving rep won’t run in ’22

Longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, announced Saturday that 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 that she is looking for a “female that is qualified.”

First elected to Congress in 1992, Johnson, 85, is among its most senior members — the longestserving 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 serve in Congress.

Speaking Saturday while 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.”

Johnson’s decision is consistent with what she told constituents in 2019: that her current term would be her last. But since winning re-election 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 re-election. And last month, Abel Mulugheta, 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 give an endorsement in the race to replace her, saying, “I would appreciate you appreciating my judgment.”

Johnson