Former Mayor of Dallas and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk Endorses Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson for Re-Election

DALLAS — Ron Kirk, the former Mayor of Dallas and United States Trade Representative, has endorsed Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson for re-election.

“Eric Johnson has done a great job leading our city. His consensus-building approach has brought the city council together to achieve real results for every neighborhood in Dallas. Everything he set out to do when he was elected — including reducing crime, reforming our city’s ethics code, and lowering the tax rate — he has done,” said Ambassador Ron Kirk, who served as Mayor of Dallas from 1995 to 2002.

“He did all of these things while we were in the midst of a global pandemic,” Ambassador Kirk added. “Eric Johnson has earned a second term as mayor, and I am honored to support him for re-election.”

“I am deeply honored to have earned Ambassador Kirk’s endorsement,” said Mayor Johnson. “As a former Mayor of Dallas, he knows what it takes to lead our diverse and vibrant city. During his tenure in office, he made a major impact on Dallas and helped move our city forward in significant ways. And during my time leading this great city, I have been grateful for his example, his friendship, his support, and his ongoing commitment to Dallas.”

Mayor Johnson and Ambassador Kirk recently helped lead a public campaign for the passage of Proposition A, which created a new revenue stream for the revitalization of Fair Park, downtown Dallas, and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The proposition won Dallas voters’ support by an overwhelming margin.

Mayor Johnson, who took office in 2019, announced in September that he intended to seek re-election next spring. Since that announcement, Mayor Johnson now has already received endorsements from four former mayors of Dallas — Ambassador Kirk, Tom Leppert, Mary Poss, and Steve Bartlett; the city’s largest police and fire associations; and four members of the Texas House of Representatives who served as Chairmen of the Texas House Public Education Committee.

Prior to his election as Mayor of Dallas, Johnson represented Dallas in the Texas House of Representatives for nearly a decade. In Johnson’s three-plus years as Mayor, Dallas has seen a double-digit drop in violent crime, reduced the property tax rate to the lowest level in 15 years, and added more than $14 billion in new development.

The son of a former Dallas police officer, Mayor Johnson grew up in West Dallas and Oak Cliff. He received his bachelor’s degree with honors from Harvard University in 1998, as well as a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a master’s degree from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, both in 2003.

Johnson and his wife, Nakita, are raising their three children in Dallas.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Mayor Johnson, please contact Mari Woodlief at (214) 621-4575 or mwoodlief@allynmedia.com.