Johns won Kentucky's heavily Republican district 36th Senate District in 1990 from
Republican Eugene P. Stuart with 52% of the vote and a 1,689 vote margin, in part due to Stuart's underestimation of her candidacy and in part due to her strategy of "a computer-targeted campaign designed in part to woo women voters," as otherwise there would be no women in the Kentucky Senate. 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. Her strategy also included neighborhood walks in areas that, in previous elections, were more likely to switch or had less knowledge of Stuart. She received an endorsement from
The Courier-Journal, and
Attorney General of Kentucky Fred Cowan and
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky Brereton Jones campaigned for her. Feminist author
Sallie Bingham donated $500. She was the only woman serving on the state senate during the latter term, and according to a survey conducted by the Kentucky Center for Public Issues, she "was ranked the ninth most influential Senator for the 1994 General Assembly." Johns was defeated for reelection in 1994 by Republican
Julie Denton. In 1996, Johns won Kentucky's 32nd House District. She received endorsements that described her as fiscally conservative and socially moderate. During her term, Johns began caucusing with other female legislators (including
Joni Jenkins,
Ruth Ann Palumbo,
Eleanor Jordan,
Mary Lou Marzian,
Kathy Stein, and more) to track legislation in their individual fields of expertise and work together to affect legislation more easily than they could have done alone. 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." and the
Governor of Kentucky's Child Care Policy Council, and she chaired the Governor's Task Force on Health/Fitness. Johns was defeated for reelection in 2000 by Republican
Scott Brinkman. In 2012, Johns ran for the House of Representatives against incumbent
Bob DeWeese but lost. She was endorsed by the local Iron Workers Union. == Personal life ==