25 things to know about Jane Hamilton, candidate for Dallas’ Congressional District 30

Jane Hope Hamilton, 44, is in a runoff to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson in Congress.

Here are 25 things to know about the first-time candidate.

1. Hamilton was born and raised in New Orleans.
2. Growing up, she played classical piano and tennis.
3. She’s a graduate of Lake Forest College along the Chicago area’s North Shore.
4. Her first foray into Texas politics was in 2000, when she coordinated the field operation for then-state Sen. David Cain.
5. In 2001, Hamilton was an aide to then-state Rep. Helen Giddings.
6. She worked as an aide on the House Rules Committee that was chaired by then-U.S. Rep. Martin Frost.
7. In 2006, Hamilton led a coordinated campaign that was funded by a group called the Texas Democratic Trust. That was the year Democrats won every contested countywide race and flipped the county from red to blue.
8. One of those candidates was Craig Watkins, who is considered the first Black district attorney elected in Texas.
9. Hamilton worked for the Lone Star Project, a Democratic research group led by former Frost chief of staff Matt Angle.
10. She was a strategist for former state Sen. Wendy Davis’ 2008 campaign for the Texas Legislature.
11. After an incident with police in which she was charged with felony harassment of a police officer, Hamilton countered that she was a victim of police brutality as she was dragged out of a car and slammed to the ground. The charges were dismissed.
12. In 2011, she did a brief stint in Houston helping elect school board candidates.
13. She led Clay Jenkins’ successful 2010 campaign for Dallas County Judge in 2010.
14. Hamilton managed U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey’s successful campaign for Congress in 2012.
15. She served as his first chief of staff and helped develop the Voting Rights Caucus, which Veasey chairs.
16. She’s a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and is married with two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy.
17. In 2018, Hamilton managed Dallas lawyer Chris Hamilton’s (no relation) unsuccessful campaign for Dallas County Democratic Party chairman.
18. She worked as general manager for Noodle, a program management company that brings universities online to lower costs.
19. Hamilton founded the Barbara Jordan Leadership Institute, a civic education group that offers leadership and advocacy training.
20. She was the Texas director for Joe Biden’s presidential primary campaign.
21. In 2021, Hamilton formed an exploratory committee for a potential District 30 campaign.
22. She unsuccessfully sought the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, who announced her retirement from Congress last fall and endorsed Hamilton’s opponent, Jasmine Crockett.
23. In December, Hamilton launched her campaign for District 30.
24. Her endorsements include Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, former U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and state Sen. Royce West.
25. Hamilton finished a distant second in the March 1 primary, more than 30 percentage points behind Crockett.