School's Out, Session's In
By: C. Todd Williamson, III
C. Travis Johnson, who is known on the campus of Louisiana Tech as “CJ,” has a tough road ahead of him. In order to accomplish his goals, he must: oust a recently elected incumbent, uphold the hopes of many citizens in Louisiana’s 21st District, and most important of all, get through his last final exam. At 22, Johnson is looking forward to grad school as well as election victory.
At the time of our conversation, Johnson is celebrating his cousin’s wedding in Las Vegas. This is about the only vacation he’s going to see for quite a while, but he took time out of one of the few days off the campaign trail to, in a sense…talk about the campaign trail.
CTW: Who or what inspired you to run for office at such a young age?
CJ: I first got involved with politics through SGA. All the student body leaders go to Baton Rouge every year to meet the state leadership at the capitol every year. We’re all in the same university system that includes Grambling State and LSU as well, so we all went. Our year visiting Baton Rouge, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagan and President Bush came after the Katrina crisis and being that close to them had an effect on me. So I was able to see so much being a student body leader and being on the floor of the house. When I started going home, one lady came to me and asked if I was still in school. This lady was 32 years old telling me her problems and people began to come to me and I felt that people needed me.
CTW: Do you think that you’ll be a career politician?
CJ: I’ll always be a public servant for the rest of my life if I’m not directly in politics.
Johnson (center) and his advisor Roosevelt Tadlock with local law enforcers. |
CTW: How much rest do you get on average?
CJ: Actually, I don’t get very much rest. Maybe 5 hours a sleep a night. That’s usually a good rest.
CTW: Who are some of your political heroes?
CJ: Dr. King is definitely my number one hero. I love Dr. King. I’m very fond of Hillary Clinton too. It’s the truth so you can print it. [laughing] Bobby Jindal (Republican Gubernatorial candidate) is someone I admire as well because he’s a different type of candidate. I’m going to support him regardless of party affiliation because I think he’s good for our state.
CTW: The claim is that young people don’t vote? Especially in a state devastated by one of the greatest natural disasters in this nation’s history. What are you going to do to get young adults to the polls?
CJ: My fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha has taught me a lot through our national voting program, “A Voteless People is a Hopeless People.” We’re going to go to the housing projects and talk to the people and get them registered. We must explain to everyone about what’s going on because people just don’t understand how it is down here. The more educated you are, the more you’re likely to vote and going door-to-door is our best hope.
CTW: What has occurred during this campaign run that you least expected?
CJ: I wasn’t expecting so many people to get behind me. I knew I was young, but older guys are supporting me. The older people are getting behind me.
Johnson (r) greeting his opponent Andy Anders at the Delta Music Festival. |
CTW: Your opponent in the Democratic primary is “Andy” Anders, who is a career farmer, yet you have stated that you “will reach out to the agricultural leaders in District 21.” How will you sway the agricultural based community to vote for you?
CJ: You revealed something in the article you did on Bobby Jindal. He’s one of those leaders that I see that’s making significant change. You’re going to need new leadership. The times are changing. Just like the oil prices are watched, that’s how important the corn prices are in our district. The Mississippi Valley has some of the most fertile soil but by 2015 we will have to use different resources. But its all here, LSU is one of the best schools for agriculture; we just have to utilize what’s in front of us.
CTW: Who has been your greatest supporter throughout this process?
CJ: It would be my church
CTW: Do your classmates look at you differently now?
CJ: They’re not surprised at all, they’re not surprised. They’re reaching out and offering help. I’ve been receiving massive facebook messages and they’re asking, “Do you need this? or do you need that?” So they’ve been very supportive.
CTW: What role are media and the web going to play in your campaign?
CJ: Actually the Internet is going to help a lot. I’ve drawn a lot of outside revenue from the Internet in my district. The annual income is only $15,000 here and it doesn’t have to be said that money is very important.
CTW: So, with that said, what is the biggest policy issue facing your district?
CJ: I would have to say poverty and education
CTW: How will you alleviate these problems?
CJ: All politicians claim that they’re going to do something about education. But I think education is key in learning to gain skills to take care of your family. I want to alleviate the pressure on teachers and increase their salaries. Even on a domestic level in households, you’d be surprise how many people have to learn how to pay their bills and to learn to manage credit. These types of programs are currently in existence, but they’re not being implemented in my district. We’re also using local television to show free classes to teach our citizens how to manage their credit. This has never been done. We want to get our people managing life in general.
CTW: What is happening with your age group in your district? Are they leaving, staying?
CJ: My generation graduates from college and leave this area. So many of the people who are college educated never come back. We have very few. I graduate in August and I myself debated to leave and go to grad school at Howard University in Washington, D.C. But I said, no, I’m going to stay, run for office, and help my district and bring attention to my district. I believe that I’m very resourceful and can get out there and bring us some help.
CTW: What has been your greatest challenge so far?
CJ: My greatest challenge has been…I couldn’t mention one single greatest challenge because every week is different. One week funds are coming in and the people are excited to hear from me, then the next week can be a different story. It’s really been an emotional roller coaster for me, just as it has for the people.
CTW: Well, what have you enjoyed the most from the campaign?
CJ: Meeting the people and going to college and getting educated at the same time. Learning policy issues and I’ve also had the chance to see the people in a different light.
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