Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson Voted New Chair Of Congressional Black Caucus

A dynamic Texan lawmaker, the first Black to be elected congresswoman from Dallas, mobilized a pace-setting campaign and was elected Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus on Capitol Hill by a single vote.

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson defeated a strong faction led by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) to win the most significant role for a Black lawmaker on Capitol Hill. She will become the third woman to take the Caucus' helm in the organization's 30-year history. She will succeed Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), who earned a reputation as a diplomatic yet progressive political leader.

Because of the slim vote margin between the two parties in Congress, Republicans will be hard-pressed to enact legislation, insuring that the 38 votes of the Caucus could make a difference, and perhaps, bring the Hill's most powerful unit to a new stage in strategy.

Elected for a customary two-year term, her new post caps a career of service for the woman who has held every leadership post in the Caucus, including chair of the Annual Legislative Conference, which brings thousands to Washington to work on a legislative agenda for Blacks.

A force in national politics, Johnson, with other Black leaders, helped this year to produce one of the largest Black voter turnouts in history. She personally campaigned across the nation for Vice President Al Gore.

In the aftermath of charges of massive voter irregularities and intimidation in Florida, Rep. Johnson made several trips to Florida to meet with state officials and civil rights officials in an ongoing effort by Democrats to make certain that every vote counted.

She intimates that whomever sits in the White House will have to deal with the Caucus and its goals of affirmative action, access to capital and technology and voting rights.

Elected in November to serve her fifth term in Congress, Johnson represents Texas' 30th Congressional District. A Democratic deputy whip, she also is ranking member of the House Committee on Science's Subcommittee on Basic Research.

Proud to head the Caucus, Johnson says, "The Caucus is probably the closest group of lawmakers on the Hill." She adds, "We work together almost incessantly, we are friends and, more importantly, a family of freedom fighters."

Other Caucus officers elected were Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) first vice chair, Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) second vice chair, Bobby Rush (D-IL) secretary and New York's Gregory Meeks (D-NY) whip.