Democratic Texas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, the dean of her state’s congressional delegation, announced Saturday that she will not run for re-election in 2022.
“There is nothing more satisfying to an elected official for people of real character and accomplishment to plead for you to run for office one more time,” Johnson said at a press conference held at Kirkwood Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
Johnson had previously said that the 117th Congress would be her last. She was first elected to Congress in 1993, and also served in the Texas state legislature and the Carter administration. At 85 years old, Johnson is the second-oldest member of the House, and the oldest Democrat.
“I have gone back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, but as of January of next year, I will step down, I will retire, and I will recommend who I feel is best to follow me,” she said, adding that she would look for a female candidate to support. Johnson declined to endorse a candidate at her press conference.
WATCH LIVE: Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson Makes Announcement About Her Future https://t.co/q7hVH8kD1E
— NBC DFW (@NBCDFW) November 20, 2021
Johnson was the first nurse elected to Congress, and became the first African-American woman to serve as chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in 2019. She was also the first African-American head of psychiatric nursing at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
This is an excerpt from the Daily Caller.
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