Tubbs Jones Was A Rising Star in Democratic Politics

Thursday, August 21, 2008 Download  RSS  Short URL  Share

Ideastream’s Bill Rice reports on her career and legacy.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones was Ohio’s first African American female member of Congress, succeeding the state’s first African American male congressman, Louis Stokes.  She began her political career as a common pleas judge, and served as Cuyahoga County’s prosecutor before her election to congress in 1998.  Jason Johnson, professor of political science at Hiram College, says she very quickly became a national political force.

Johnson:  “Being the first African American woman to be elected in the state, that brought her a great deal of credibility and notoriety early on, and then in particular her star was really shining in 1994 when she worked for John Kerry, and then Nancy Pelosii put her on the standards and procedures… essentially the house ethics committee.  So really in the last four years she’s exploded in her level of influence.”

Tubbs Jones spent most of her Congressional tenure as a member of the minority, and fought hard to make her legislative mark when the Republican leadership had little appetite for allowing democrats to influence policy.  She advocated for social programs for the poor, universal health care and increased funding for education.  In 2004 she chaired the Ohio campaign for democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, and suspecting voting abnormalities, formally objected to the counting of Ohio’s electoral votes, even after Kerry conceded to president Bush.

But perhaps her biggest talent was getting her constituents riled up, as she did while campaigning for Hillary Clinton last winter. 

Tubbs Jones speech:  “Now I understand that people say you know, it must have been a tough decision to choose Hillary Rodham Clinton.  Ladies and gentlemen, it was nopt a tough decision.  She’s the best candidate, with the best experience, the best background.”

Tubbs-Jones was among Clinton’s staunchest supporters, even as Barack Obama gathered steam and pulled ahead of her in pledged delegates to the democratic convention.  Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California says Tubbs Jones took some heat from many African Americans, but considered loyalty a politician’s most valuable asset, and stuck by Clinton until she suspended her campaign. 

Waters:  “She made her decision, she was going to stand by it, and she was not going to change her position based on any polls, or any intimidation.  Her word could be counted on.”

Waters says as chair of the house ethics committee Tubbs Jones was the go-to person among democrats for legal advice on political activities.  The esswoman also held a coveted spot on the house ways and means committee. 

It was just three weeks ago that tubs Jones spoke at the funeral of revered Cleveland Councilwoman Fannie Lewis.  Now, Tubbs Jones herself leaves a vacuum of political influence that Hiram professor Jason Johnson says will be hard to fill.  And, he says, her passing is particularly untimely for Cleveland. 

Jason Johnson:  “This region is hurting.  It will be hurting for political influence.  It is not easy to get somebody who is that influential in Congress.  And so the real question is going to be will this be an opportunity for local leadership to galvanize around a new candidate and maybe take this area in a new direction, or will Northeast Ohio continue to drift and suffer when they don’t have that kind of strong leadership.”

Statements from colleagues and friends around Northeast Ohio praise Stephanie Tubbs Jones for her humanity and dedication to her community. 

Bill Rice, 90.3.