State Rep. Terri Hodge, a fixture in HD100 since 1996, has drawn a challenger for next year.
Dallas lawyer Eric Johnson announced [Friday] that he is running for the District 100 seat in the Texas House.
That’s the seat currently being held by embattled Democrat Terri Hodge.
Hodge is currently under federal indictment on bribery charges and is expected to go to trial this summer.
She has not had a major opponent since being elected to the House in 1996.
Several candidates have expressed interest in running for the District 100 seat, but most of their plans were contingent on Hodge being convicted of a felony that would have disqualified her from office.
In his release that I’ve attached below, Johnson appears to be running no matter what happens to Hodge at trial.
Expect other candidates to join the fray if things don’t go Hodge’s way.
I got that release late last week as well, and a subsequent one that I’ve put beneath the fold as well. Here’s a couple of updates on that bribery case. Most of those charged are going to trial on June 22, though Rep. Hodge will be tried separately. It ought to be a high-profile case.
The Observer wrote a profile of Rep. Hodge last year after no one filed to run against her despite the charges that had been filed. She’s been a staunch advocate for her district, where the article notes the charges are seen (or at least were at the time) with skepticism, and a tough competitor. At the end of this legislative session, she asserted her innocence to the DMN. I’ve no idea how this will go for her, but it’ll be very interesting to watch.
Eric Johnson unveiled his campaign website this afternoon, www.johnsonfortexas.com. Johnson is a Democratic candidate for the Texas House of Representatives, District 100.
The website features a biography of Eric Johnson, highlighting his journey from West Dallas to the Ivy League, his work as an active volunteer in the Dallas Independent School District, and his lifelong support of the Democratic Party. The website also features statements from Johnson on issues important to residents of District 100, including education, crime and public safety, and economic development.
Johnson also rolled out his efforts to connect to voters through social networking websites. Johnson supporters can now become “fans” of Eric Johnson on Facebook and receive updates from him on Twitter. They can also contribute to Eric Johnson’s campaign using ActBlue. Johnson also has a page on Politics4All, a new social networking website that connects candidates, voters, and political advocacy groups.
Eric Johnson is a Dallas native who was raised in West Dallas and in nearby Oak Cliff. He attended the first grade at C.F. Carr Elementary in District 100. In the second grade, he was selected to participate in the Independent Schools Project, a partnership between the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas and several of the top private schools in Dallas. For the next eleven years, Johnson rode a van from the West Dallas Boys and Girls Club to attend Greenhill School, from which he graduated in 1994. He went on to attend Harvard University, where he majored in History and graduated cum laude. He then earned both a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
Eric Johnson is an active volunteer with the Dallas Independent School District. His passion for working in our public schools comes from his own experience with what education can do to change a person’s life. Johnson is currently working to implement West Dallas C.A.M.P. (Community Ambassador Mentoring Program), a partnership between C.F. Carr Elementary School, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and People Empowerment Project that will provide fourth grade students with one-on-one and group mentoring for success both in and out of the classroom. He served as a mentor at Lincoln High School in South Dallas for two years and is a frequent speaker at career days, academic pep rallies, and assemblies at DISD schools throughout District 100.
Eric Johnson is a lifelong Democrat and has been active in the Democratic Party for several years. He has served as a Democratic precinct chair and has also been a financial supporter of the Dallas County Democratic Party, Dallas County Young Democrats, Texas Democratic Party, and Democratic National Committee. He and his wife, Nakita, launched Sí Se Puede PAC in March 2008 in order to support progressive candidates and causes throughout Texas. Johnson served as an at-large delegate for President Barack Obama to the 2008 Texas Democratic State Convention in Austin, Texas and also served as an Obama Precinct Captain during the 2008 Democratic primary election contest.
Eric Johnson is married to Nakita Johnson. They are members of the Lawrence and Marder Church of Christ in South Dallas. In his free time, he enjoys reading, sports, and spending time with Nakita and their dog, Nina.
For more information or to schedule an interview with Eric Johnson, please contact Kari Yeh at (972) 762-2629 or [email protected].
To view Eric Johnson’s Facebook page, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eric-Johnson-Texas/85989071793?ref=ts.
To view Eric Johnson’s updates on Twitter, visit http://twitter.com/johnsonfortexas.
To view Eric Johnson’s ActBlue page, visit http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/22432.
To view Eric Johnson’s Politics4All page, visit http://politics4all.com/campaigns/98.
As a Dallas County Dem Precinct chair in District 100, I was one of those who interviewed for the article in the Observer last year. I can say with certainty that Terri Hodge is still loved in District 100 and I will continue my endorsement of her as my Representative in Austin. I further urge everyone to stick with Terri through thick and thin. After all isn’t that exactly what she has done for her constituents from day one! Please don’t be distracted by smoke and mirrors that would have you jump off a perfectly good boat.
I wish to echo the comments of Ms. Curry, I am a neighboring precinct chair and I love and support Terri Hodge who I am glad to call my friend. I will not abandon her when the going gets rough. I have known Terri for more than a decade, and I can assure you that the claims made against her just aren’t Terri. I have seen Terri go down to Austin session after session in the same dress clothes that she attended her lege in. I have seen Terri drive the same old jalopy for so many years, until the car just died. I have seen Terri scramble to raise donations, so she would have enough money to rent accomidations for special sessions. If Terri Hodge is corrupt, she done a very poor job of being corrupt.
While I believe that charges against Fantroy, Hill, and Lee are absolutely true as charged. I would like to point out, that pay to play has long been the practice at Dallas City Hall. But last I checked it takes 8 votes to get anything done, and there arent 8 black members of council. So where are the white or hispanic defendants? So I suspect Terri just got accidentally swept up in this mess, by accepting a low income apartment from this Patashnic and being Af-Am. I suspect that if the truth be told Terri true crime was being a loud advocate for the poor and disenfranchised.
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Rep. Hodge has stuck with us “through thick and thin”? She’s been ” a loud advocate for the poor and disenfranchised”? I’m not so sure. Ms. Hodge has only served on two committees during her 13-year tenure: Corrections and Criminal Jurisprudence. While Texas jails are overflowing, most of the poor and disenfranchised are not incarcerated. And while I do not doubt that the Texas prison system needs policing, District 100 needs advocacy on committees that can more directly impact our community. Is she only concerned with those residents in her district who are serving time? Or, does she not have the gravitas to serve on committees like Appropriations, Higher Education or any other committees that could affect great changes in our community?
Most importantly is the question of what happens to the district, its representation, and the interests of the residents IF Rep. Hodge is in fact convicted.