Lance Gooden | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 5th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jeb Hensarling |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 4th district | |
| In office January 10, 2017 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Stuart Spitzer |
| Succeeded by | Keith Bell |
| In office January 11, 2011 – January 13, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Betty Brown |
| Succeeded by | Stuart Spitzer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lance Carter Gooden December 1, 1982 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Alexa Calligas (m. 2016) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Texas at Austin (BA, BBA) |
| Website | House website |
Lance Carter Gooden[1] (born December 1, 1982) is the U.S. representative for Texas's 5th congressional district, serving since 2019.[2] The district includes much of eastern Dallas, as well as a swath of exurban and rural territory to Dallas's east.
Gooden previously served in the Texas House of Representatives for the 4th district (Henderson and Kaufman counties). He served in the State House from 2011 to 2015 before he lost his reelection bid in the 2014 Republican primary election. He was returned to office in 2016 for a nonconsecutive third term in the legislature. Gooden voted against certifying the electors from Arizona and Pennsylvania in the 2020 United States presidential election[3] and voted against the second impeachment of Donald Trump following the 2021 United States Capitol attack.[4]
A native of Terrell in Kaufman County, an eastern suburb of Dallas, Gooden graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, from which he received a Bachelor of Arts in government in 2001 and a BBA in finance in 2004.
In the 2010 primary election, Gooden won 50.5% of the vote, upsetting six-term incumbent Republican Representative Betty Brown.[5] Gooden had formerly been Brown's legislative assistant.
Upon taking office in 2011, Gooden worked on the state budget in an attempt to eliminate wasteful spending. He served on the House Appropriations, County Affairs, and House Administration committees, the last of which handles employment by the House. In 2010, Gooden had no Democratic opponent in his heavily Republican district.[6][7] In 2011, he assisted hotel mogul Monty Bennett in his fight against the Tarrant Regional Water District, pushing legislation to designate Bennett's 1,000-acre ranch as a municipal utility district and granting immunity from a proposed water pipeline through the property.[8]
Gooden won renomination to a second term in the Republican primary held on May 29, 2012. He polled 6,385 votes (53.5%) to his opponent Stuart Spitzer's 5,545 (46.5%).[9][10] Gooden was unopposed for a second term in the November 6 general election.
On March 4, 2014, Spitzer, in a second bid for the office, unseated Gooden in the Republican primary, with 8,421 votes (51%) to Gooden's 8,079 (49%).[11] Speaker Joe Straus, of San Antonio, made a campaign stop on Gooden's behalf in Forney in Kaufman County, a month before the primary. Accompanying Straus to Forney was State Senator Bob Deuell,[12] who lost his own seat in the subsequent May 27 runoff election to the Tea Party movement choice, Bob Hall.
In 2016, Gooden staged a comeback and unseated Spitzer in the March 1 Republican primary, 14,500 votes (51.8%) to 13,502 (48.2%). He returned to the State House in January 2017.[13]
|
See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 5 |
Gooden won the Republican nomination for the 5th congressional district and the November 6 general election, receiving 62.7% of the vote.[2]
|
See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 5 |
Gooden was reelected on November 3, receiving 62% of the vote.
In December 2020, Gooden was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[14] incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[15][16][17]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." She also reprimanded Gooden and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[18][19] New Jersey Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell, called for Pelosi to not seat Gooden and the other Republicans who signed onto the brief supporting the suit, arguing that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[20]
On March 3, 2021, Gooden was the only House Republican to vote for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed 220–212. Later that evening, he tweeted that he voted for the bill "accidentally", claiming he pushed the wrong button, a mistake he failed to notice in time.[21] Gooden then tweeted that he had "arguably the most conservative/America First voting record in Congress", and "Of course I wouldn't support the radical left's, Anti-Police Act". According to Gooden, he had the official record changed to reflect his opposition.[22]
In June 2021, Gooden was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.[23][24]
Gooden voted against the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 which authorizes DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.[25][26]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lance Gooden | 17,501 | 29.9 | |
| Republican | Bunni Pounds | 12,895 | 22.0 | |
| Republican | Sam Deen | 10,102 | 17.2 | |
| Republican | Kenneth Sheets | 7,011 | 12.0 | |
| Republican | Jason Wright | 6,675 | 11.4 | |
| Republican | Danny Campbell | 1,767 | 3.0 | |
| Republican | David Williams | 1,603 | 2.7 | |
| Republican | Charles Lingerfelt | 1,023 | 1.8 | |
| Total votes | 58,777 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lance Gooden | 18,364 | 54.0 | |
| Republican | Bunni Pounds | 15,634 | 46.0 | |
| Total votes | 33,998 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lance Gooden | 130,617 | 62.3 | |
| Democratic | Dan Wood | 78,666 | 37.6 | |
| Independent | Phil Gray (write-in) | 224 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 209,507 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
On October 1, 2016, Gooden married Alexa Calligas, whose family is from Shreveport, Louisiana.[30] They had a son on February 1, 2018.[31]
Gooden grew up attending the Rockwall and Brin Church of Christ in Terrell, Texas, and remains a member of that congregation.[32]
