Congressional Catch-Up: Bethany Johnson

Bethany Johnson, who gathered over 2,000 signatures herself, runs a self-started, “one woman army” campaign for the Illinois Ninth Congressional District (IL-09). An activist and housewife who’s lived in Chicago for most of her life, Johnson wants a seat at the table as a citizen of the district. 

Johnson decided to run for office after alternative IL-09 candidate Kat Abugazaleh filed a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) against her while Johnson was protesting at Abugazaleh’s office. Johnson won the lawsuit.

Economy

Johnson said wealth inequality is the biggest economic problem in America as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. If elected, she said would tax the wealthiest members of the country. 

She said she believes the rich need to reinvest their wealth instead of hoarding it by way of stock and financial assets

Johnson supports the PRO, or the Protecting the Right to Organize, Act, which would strengthen labor unions. 

She said she thinks Earned Income Tax Credits, or EITC, need to be raised and advocates for bringing back monthly EITC checks to help alleviate child poverty. 

Immigration

Johnson said ICE should be abolished, and many ICE agents need to be prosecuted. She thinks the agency needs to reform with a different type of employee and is concerned by “the rise of a secret police force” in the U.S..

She believes immigration policy should be significantly less draconian, and it doesn’t make sense to vilify immigrants. 

Young Voters

Johnson said Democrats did themselves a disservice in the 2024 Presidential Election by campaigning against President Donald Trump rather than promoting their own message. 

She said electoral candidates need to give young people something to hope for rather than just saying, “We are not Donald Trump.”

One cause to focus on for young voters is student loan forgiveness, Johnson said. 

Protecting Democracy

Johnson believes the biggest threat to democracy is the administrations’ push for constituents to move on from important issues, referencing the Biden administrations’ Department of Justice’s inability to thoroughly investigate Trump. 

She said there needs to be a committee to investigate ICE agents and employees to determine constitutionality, and she hopes the public doesn’t allow the government to “move on” from the actions committed by ICE. 

Another example of “moving on,” is Stonewall. Johnson said the public can’t move on from Trump erasing mentions of transgender people from the history of Stonewall. Additionally, Johnson mentioned her discontent with Trump removing mentions of racism from National Park Service sites. 

Gaza, Israel and the Age Divide

Johnson said she doesn’t support U.S. involvement in Israel and doesn’t think Americans should be paying for Israel’s actions in Gaza. She said what Israel is doing is a clear act of genocide. 

Abortion 

Johnson advocates for codifying Roe v. Wade, especially to protect the reproductive rights of people living in red states. 

She said Democrats need to start standing in front of the things red states need, like natural disaster funding, in order to leverage support for abortion access. 

As a transgender woman, Johnson said she isn’t directly impacted by limited abortion access, but she still thinks it’s important to support people who are. 

Climate Change

Johnson supports the Green New Deal and thinks the country needs nuclear power. While aiming to lower emission, she doesn’t think energy needs can be met using traditional renewable energy infrastructure, like wind mills and solar panels, especially with the growth of data centers. 

Most Important Issue 

Johnson said Americans need to reflect on their values, especially when it comes to conditions in ICE detention centers. 

She wanted to acknowledge many Americans don’t realize Anne Frank wasn’t shot or killed in a gas chamber as many believe, but actually died of typhus, referencing the outbreak of disease of detained individuals in the U.S.

Editor’s Note: News Editor Paige Dillinger contributed reporting to this article.