No Shame in the Name

Names have always been important to me. I remember feeling so sad when my mom was getting remarried and wouldn't have the same last name as I would anymore. I came to terms with that as a 14-year-old girl by reflecting on Romeo & Juliet's famous "What's in a Name?" soliloquy. Why is a name so important? It's simply what we call things. Yet, years later, when I was getting married myself, my name was so much more than a word. It was a part of me. For 29 years, I had gone by this name. Why would I change it just because I was in love with someone and making a legal commitment to him? I refused to give in to a societal norm that makes others comfortable and seemed to make their life more convenient. My desires and my identity had to come first, and my supportive, loving husband agreed. After all, it's my name.

A few more years later, when we were naming our first child, his name was of the utmost importance. It would be how he would be known all of his life, and as his parents, we were making this huge decision FOR him. We hadn't even met him yet, and we were supposed to already know what to call him!? I wanted a name that would be familiar but not common, a name that would differentiate him from his peers without being unusual or "weird." And, of course, it needed to be unique to go with the very common last name, Johnson. I would joke about how it couldn't be anything as common as Ben or Jack or Henry or, gee, I don't know, Sam. How could a parent with the last name of Johnson name their baby with the common Sam or Samuel, right? I'd tease my husband about his parents not thinking through how so many people have the name Sam, and too many people have the last name Johnson. He wasn't helping HIS case to lay off when he'd remind me that his own grandmother didn't have to change her maiden name to Johnson because it already was Johnson! Technically, her married name is "Imogene Johnson Johnson." True story. 

But, Sam would be defensive about what a great, strong name it is. And it is. It's solid with a great history of a few others with this common name. It's the same name as great English writer, editor, and notable lexicographer Dr. Samuel Johnson. It's the same name as unicycler and Australian actor Samuel Johnson. It's the name of several footballers and political family members (the brother, the father and the grandfather of President Lyndon B. Johnson), of artists and businessmen (S.C. Johnson and family), and of clergy and scientists, famous and otherwise. It's also, ironically, the same name as the current Republican congressman who represents our district in the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Sam Johnson, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, a fighter pilot in both the Korean War and Vietnam War, and a POW for almost 7 years. 

No doubt, my Sam shares his common name with really awesome people! But since Sam has announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress in the same district as the Sam Johnson who will not seek reelection in the 2018 election, Sam has gotten quite a bit of kickback about his name. Some people believe he has an edge on the other candidates because of his name. And, while that may be true in the general election, that is certainly not the case in the primary. As Sam has been meeting voters throughout our district, some are quite skeptical of his real intentions. Because my Sam is a Democrat and the incumbent is a Republican, Democrat voters are taken aback or anxious about Sam's name and what it represents. Some laugh at the irony, some squawk at it, and some are just plain mean about it. We've heard nasty remarks from a few, insinuating Sam is trying to "pull one over" on the people. They've drawn comparisons to the storyline in the famous movie A Distinguished Gentleman, a movie neither Sam or I have seen but have been told we should see.  Some have commented that this will be confusing. I'm not quite sure how it's confusing at all. In fact, what would be confusing is if the incumbent were running for reelection. Luckily, he's not, so only one Sam Johnson could appear on the ballot come next November. That's actually pretty conveniently NOT confusing. Finally, others have questioned why he didn't run as "Samuel" or even add a middle initial to his name. And, of course, that was discussed.

Bottom line, though: Sam goes by "Sam" - except to his childhood friends and a few family members who still think of him as "Sammy." He only uses his middle initial when he uses "Samuel," and again, since he doesn't generally have people call him by his given name, he isn't a fan of being known with a middle initial. Throughout this entire process of learning what it's like to run for office, to be a political family, to have our names and our privacy a little bit more exposed, Sam and I are determined to stay true to who we are. That's what people want - the real deal. Sam is one of the most genuine, honest, down-to-earth individuals I've ever met. He's sincere and committed. Of course he should use the name that is most truly him.

What's maddening about the whole name issue is that Sam has to spend any bit of time defending his honest intent to run for office. There is no gimmick. This is not a joke. There is no ulterior motive. There is no intent to to confuse anyone. He is not trying to usurp the accolades and achievements of the incumbent. He is not trying to piggyback on someone else's name. His name is Sam Johnson, and he wants to lead. Can we please move past the redundant shock and skepticism so we can talk real issues? Can we please just recognize that this man, this good, honest, hard-working, kind man wants to be your voice and wants to represent you and your families in the House? Can we please just get over the name and see this amazing candidate for what he has to offer? For goodness sake, it's a common name, it's a good name, and he has every right and privilege to run for office as anyone else. His name shouldn't hold him back or give him an edge over others. Let's pay attention to the issues.

His name is Sam Johnson. He's a Democrat. He's running for U.S. Representative in Texas' 3rd Congressional District. Now, let's move on and vote for him already!

Note: if you're ready to move past the name and look at the issues, check out Sam's website at votesamjohnson.com! Like his Facebook page: Sam Johnson for Congress. Donate or volunteer to help him win the vote!