 Outside of politics, she has worked as a teacher and in various managerial positions, and she has been affiliated with several women's organizations and political or charitable organizations.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.