By Shawn Williams – Dallas South News Editor
Eric Johnson
With just under six weeks left before the Democratic Primary, The Dallas Morning News suggests a change for Texas House District 100 which includes West Dallas, South Dallas, and parts of Southeast Dallas. I’m sure the editorial board has already fielded their fair share of calls from politicos who are backing the incumbent.
“An ethical cloud has hung over Hodge for years,” says the Morning News editorial board, “as questions about residency, unreported payments and campaign finances mounted.” They go on to reference Hodge’s public corruption trial that is scheduled to take place only days after the Democratic Primary.
The paper also speaks of Johnson’s deep ties to the area he seeks to represent, “stretching back to his days as a first-grader at C.F. Carr Elementary School in West Dallas,” they say. They list K-12 education as a priority of his campaign.
State Rep. Terri Hodge
There’s still lots of time before the primary and though Rep. Hodge has not raised much money towards her campaign I wouldn’t count her out. Many leaders in the African-American community still support her publicly, and it’s hard to know what type of turnout to expect in March.
Johnson spoke of the Dallas Morning News candidate interviews in a statement released by his campaign. “In our interview with The Dallas Morning News, my opponent made it very clear that she plans to pit older voters against younger voters, property rights against education, and the past against the future in this election, which is unfortunate,” said Johnson.
“I believe that we should be encouraging older voters and younger voters to work together to make our communities better, that protecting property rights and improving education go hand-in-hand, and that we best honor our past when we work together toward a brighter future,” Johnson added.
Mr. Johnson has shown that he can raise money (lots of it and fast) and has the support of young Democrats throughout Dallas County. And while a recommendation from the city’s major newspaper doesn’t count for any votes, it definitely won’t hurt his cause.
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