TEXAS, USA — When it comes to primary challenges next year, the infighting won’t be limited to Republicans.
One of the fiercest battles will take place between Democrats in Texas’ Senate District 16 in Dallas County.
Incumbent Senator Nathan Johnson says he welcomes the challenge.
“I’m excited, actually, to have a challenger in a primary, because for the first time we’re going to have a focus on this race, so we can see what people really have done, what I’ve been able to do in the Legislature. And I think when people see that, they will put me back in office,” Sen. Johnson told us on Inside Texas Politics.
Sen. Johnson will face fellow Dallas Democrat state Rep. Victoria Neave Criado, who announced her candidacy only hours before the filing deadline.
Johnson was first elected in District 16 in 2018 when he shocked Republican Don Huffines. Since that election, the district has become solidly Democratic thanks to redistricting.
He is Vice-Chair of the Senate’s Committee on Jurisprudence. He’s also a member of three other committees: Administration, Business and Commerce, and Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Sen. Johnson is also considered one of the Democrats’ leading experts on fixing the state’s power grid.
“Every day I’m on the floor, I am in the face of the Governor, of the Lieutenant Governor, calling out the bad stuff that pulls us down, clearly, effectively, but at the same time, my constituents and the people of this state need more than just words, they need results,” he said. “Everybody in this state needs education. Everybody needs healthcare. Everybody needs electricity. On those three areas and many more, I’ve been able to deliver results.”
Sen. Johnson says he hasn’t spoken with Rep. Neave Criado since her announcement, telling us he’s “really quite shocked by it.”
She has argued that Johnson has been too timid and hasn’t fought hard enough against the Republican agenda.
He says that’s laughable.
“I get in trouble in the Senate for being too outspoken. There’s a reason Ken Paxton’s legal team tried to kick me off the jury. I go after them. And I’m good at it. And I’m consistent with it. That’s just something people say to get elected,” Sen. Johnson said.
The primary election in Texas will be held Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
Your last day to register to vote will be Monday, February 5, 2024.
Early voting will run from February 20, 2024 – March 1, 2024.