[1] Early in her career, Johnston worked in Washington, D.C. for the Peace Corps and the Office of Economic Opportunity during the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Patterson also worked as the South Carolina director of the Head Start Program and as an assistant to Congressman James R.

She narrowly defeated Bill Workman, the mayor of Greenville, despite Campbell's presence at the top of the Republican ticket.

[6] Patterson was narrowly reelected in 1988, when she defeated Republican attorney and city councilman Knox H. White.

She won a third term with a greater margin in 1990 over Terry Haskins, a state Representative from Greenville.

Although Patterson represented a district that had been trending Republican for some time, she was thought to be a fairly secure incumbent, given her family ties and her victory in three successive elections under difficult conditions.