Texas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson latest Democrat to announce retirement
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Texas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson is set to retire from Congress in January, the latest in a line of Democrats calling it quits in Washington, DC.
Johnson, 85, announced Saturday she will not seek re-election after serving nearly three decades in the Lone Star State’s 30th District, which includes a large part of Dallas.
Johnson was raised in the segregated South and became the first black woman to represent Dallas in the Austin statehouse early in her political career.
In Washington, she was the first woman of color to chair the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
“There is a good reason I should stay: I am a personal friend to the president, I have gained some respect and influence,” Johnson said, before clarifying she would honor a campaign promise that her current term will be her last.
Democrats hold a narrow eight-seat majority in the House of Representatives, which is now being shaken by a recent spate of retirement announcements within the caucus.
Rep. Jackie Speier , 71, Rep. John Yarmuth , 74, and Rep. Cheri Bustos, 60, are among nine other House Democrats who have said they will not seek another term.
Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy last month predicted retirements from across the aisle would continue as lawmakers grapple with the prospect of losing their voting advantage.
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That makes 15 democrats hanging it up before the next election.
Do they still want to tell us that the Virginia election wasn't a major upset?
Literally they are rats fleeing a sinking ship. Unfortunately the sinking ship is the US; going down from all the holes they gnawed in the hull.
Maybe this time the voters have learned their lesson.