I grew up in Brownsville public schools — schools where no one had much, but we had each other. My parents were legal-aid lawyers representing farmworkers and families who had nowhere else to turn. My mom was born in Mexico; my dad was the first in his family to go to college. We lived in Mission, Texas.
We moved so my dad could go to Georgetown Law. My mom worked to help put my dad through school. My mom eventually decided to go to law school herself.
Then, our family came home to South Texas so my parents could fight for people like the ones they’d grown up alongside.
That’s where I learned that doing right by others isn’t charity — it’s duty.
I became a lawyer to fight for workers and families. And when my son’s elementary school — steps from the Capitol — was threatened with closure, I ran for the Austin school board. We stopped a corporate takeover of our public schools. Our schools passed accountability standards for the first time in history.
A few years later, I ran for the Texas House to keep fighting for our kids and our classrooms. Since then, I’ve:
✅ Passed a first-of-its-kind law creating Public Benefit Corporations so Texas businesses can do well and do good.
✅ Secured nearly a billion dollars in federal funds for health care in Travis County.
✅ Led the charge to stop Abbott’s voucher schemes and defend public schools — beating him five times in a row.
✅ Helped organize the Democratic walkout that blocked Abbott’s voter suppression bill and protected Texans’ right to vote.
Every fight has reinforced what my grandmother taught me. I can still hear her voice telling me: No te dejes.
Never back down.
Greg Abbott’s corruption runs deep, and the billionaires he serves will spend whatever it takes to keep him in power. But I’m not afraid of a fight, and with your help we can finally beat him.
If you believe in a Texas where every child can learn in a great public school, where families can afford health care, where every worker can earn a living wage, and where the government serves the people, not the powerful, then I need you in this fight from day one.
John, if you’re with me, I’m asking you to be a Founding Donor to my campaign for Governor of Texas. Split a contribution of $5, $25, $50, or more between Julie Johnson and my campaign now.
