Her 1990 state Senate win received note from both parties' officials and The Courier-Journal for its smart, local strategizing in a heavily Republican district.
[1] Due to the odds, she received little big-name Democratic support during her campaign and downplayed her party affiliation, which both parties credited as a smart move; her campaign received little money and, instead of running billboards or radio ads, used yard signs, letters, and cards.
[1] In 1992, while in the Kentucky Senate, Johns In 1994, she was a major player in the passage of the state's Child Care Reform Bill, "which significantly improved Kentucky laws in protecting adult and child victims of domestic violence," and in 1994, she led an investigation against Medicaid fraud, earning high marks.
"[2] Despite strong opposition, Johns passed a 1994 bill outlawing "corporal punishment in licensed or certified child care programs.
One early victory involved "building statewide opposition to a bill that, before their organized effort, likely would have gone unnoticed and passed easily, [...] removing the requirement that educational institutions offer women's softball as well as men's baseball, violating the spirit if not the letter of Title IX.
[7] The Courier-Journal states that, "As a college student and young adult, she stuffed envelopes and performed other campaign chores for a series of Democrats, including Julian Carroll, Walter "Dee" Huddleston and Martha Layne Collins, who she cites as a mentor.
"[1] In an interview, she discussed mentoring young women entering politics who may be turned off by going against the good old boy network.