Julie Johnson to become first LGBTQ+ Congress member from the South

DALLAS – Texas state Rep. Julie Johnson (D) has won the race to fill the Texas House District 32 seat left open by Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas).  
Democrat Julie Johnson will be the first LGBTQ member of Congress from Texas after defeating Republican challenger Darrell Day. She addressed supporters at the Dallas County Democrats watch party.
Johnson faced off against Darrell Day (R) and Kevin Hale (L) in the November 5, 2024, general election. 
Johnson will be the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent Texas and the South in Congress. 
“It’s significant. Texas is the bullseye in this country of hate against the LGBT community,” Johnson said of the possibility after winning her primary.
Before running for Congress, she served in the Texas House since January 2019, representing District 115 for all three terms.
State Representative Julie Johnson is expected to become the first openly LGBTQ member of Congress from Texas. She sat down with FOX 4’s Steven Dial on the day after her Texas Primary to talk about the Texas border, Donald Trump and the historic nature of her win.
House District 32 covers suburbs in northeastern Dallas County, plus slivers of Collin and Denton counties.
Allred has represented District 32 since 2019.
Allred defeated Republican Pete Sessions, who had represented the district since its creation in 2003.
FOX 4 takes a look at key races across Texas. Click here.
Information in this article comes from the Associated Press and previous interviews with Johnson.