Tony Gonzales
Tony-Gonzales-Congress.jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 23rd district
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
Preceded byWill Hurd
Personal details
Born
Ernest Anthony Gonzales

(1980-10-10) October 10, 1980 (age 41)
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Angel Gonzales
Children6
EducationChaminade University (AA)
Excelsior College (BS)
American Public University (MA)
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service1999–2019
RankMaster Chief Petty Officer
UnitCryptologic Technician
Battles/warsIraq War
War in Afghanistan

Ernest Anthony Gonzales II[1] (born October 10, 1980)[2] is an American politician and United States Navy veteran who has served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2021.[3] He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and education

Gonzales was raised in San Antonio, Devine, and Camp Wood, Texas.[4][5] He earned an Associate of Arts from Chaminade University, a Bachelor of Science from Excelsior College, a graduate certificate in legislative studies from Georgetown University, and a Master of Arts from American Public University.[2] He is in a PhD program at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he has specialized in international development, security studies, and international politics.[6]

Early career

From 1999 to 2019, Gonzales served in the United States Navy, retiring with the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer. A trained cryptologist, Gonzales was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He was also stationed in Tampa, Florida, Pensacola, Florida, Kāneʻohe Bay, and San Antonio, and assigned to the United States Navy Office of Legislative Affairs.[7][8]

Gonzales served as a Department of Defense fellow in the office of Senator Marco Rubio and also worked as an assistant professor of political science at the University of Maryland.[9][10]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2020

See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 23

Gonzales ran for Texas's 23rd congressional district in the 2020 election. The seat was open, as three-term Republican incumbent Will Hurd did not seek reelection. In the Republican primary, Gonzales narrowly defeated Raul Reyes after a recount. During the primary, Gonzales was endorsed by Hurd and President Donald Trump.[11] In the November general election, Gonzales defeated Democratic nominee Gina Ortiz Jones.[12] The result was considered an upset, as most forecasters believed that the Democrats were favored to flip the district after Hurd announced his retirement.[13] Gonzales's term in office began on January 3, 2021.[14][15][16][17]

Tenure

Gonzales, along with all other Senate and House Republicans, voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.[18]

On May 19, 2021, Gonzales was one of 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish the January 6, 2021 commission meant to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol.[19]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Party leadership

Personal life

Gonzales and his wife, Angel, have six children.[25] Angel served as the treasurer and custodian of records for Gonzales's campaign.[26] He is a Roman Catholic.[27]

Electoral history

2020 Texas's 23rd congressional district election[28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tony Gonzales 149,395 50.6
Democratic Gina Ortiz Jones 137,693 46.6
Libertarian Beto Villela 8,369 2.8
Total votes 295,457 100
Republican hold

See also

References

  1. ^ "GONZALES, ERNEST ANTHONY TONY II - Candidate overview". FEC.gov.
  2. ^ a b Bernal, Rafael (November 30, 2020). "Rep.-elect Tony Gonzales (R-Texas-23)". The Hill. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  3. ^ Cochrane, Emily (November 4, 2020). "Tony Gonzales Defeats Gina Ortiz Jones, Keeping G.O.P. Hold on Texas House Seat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "Tony Gonzales". NRCC Young Guns. September 11, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  5. ^ "Tony Gonzales has repeatedly perpetrated the false allegation that Gina Ortiz Jones doesn't live in Texas". ExpressNews.com. October 7, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  6. ^ "FDD | Tony Gonzales". FDD. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "San Antonio Navy vet sets his sights on Doggett's congressional seat". ExpressNews.com. July 31, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  8. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart.
  9. ^ "Tony Gonzales, Navy Information Operations Command N3 Operations Chief". www.militarycityusaradio.org. October 31, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  10. ^ "Tony Gonzales". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  11. ^ Svitek, Patrick (July 4, 2020). "Donald Trump endorses Tony Gonzales to replace U.S. Rep. Will Hurd". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  12. ^ Tracy, Gerald (November 3, 2020). "Tony Gonzales claims District 23 win, Gina Ortiz Jones calls it 'premature'". KABB. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  13. ^ "Tony Gonzales clinches House District 23 in surprise upset". November 4, 2020.
  14. ^ Svitek, Patrick (August 22, 2020). "After recount, Tony Gonzales is still winner of GOP runoff for U.S. Rep. Will Hurd's seat". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  15. ^ "Texas Election Results: 23rd Congressional District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  16. ^ "Republican Gonzales gets early lead in TX-23". ExpressNews.com. November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  17. ^ Tracy, Gerald (November 3, 2020). "Tony Gonzales pulling away as more votes start coming in". WOAI. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  18. ^ Carl Hulse (March 6, 2021). "After Stimulus Victory in Senate, Reality Sinks in: Bipartisanship Is Dead". New York Times.
  19. ^ LeBlanc, Paul (May 19, 2021). "Here are the 35 House Republicans who voted for the January 6 commission". CNN. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  20. ^ "Congressman Tony Gonzales Named to Appropriations Committee | Representative Tony Gonzales". gonzales.house.gov. January 14, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Gonzalez, Anthony (January 29, 2021). "Congressman Tony Gonzales Announces Subcommittee Assignments". U.S House of Representatives. Retrieved January 29, 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ "Congressman Tony Gonzales Joins Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus | Representative Tony Gonzales". gonzales.house.gov. January 21, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  23. ^ "Congressman Tony Gonzales Joins Republican Study Committee | Representative Tony Gonzales". gonzales.house.gov. January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  24. ^ "Congressman Tony Gonzales Named Assistant Whip for House Republicans | Representative Tony Gonzales". gonzales.house.gov. January 15, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  25. ^ Dearman, Eleanor. "Congressman Will Hurd picks who he wants to replace him in 23rd District". El Paso Times. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  26. ^ "Form 1 for Tony Gonzales for Congress". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  27. ^ Liedl, Jonathan (November 18, 2020). "New Catholic Elected Officials Hope to Lead with Faith". National Catholic Register. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  28. ^ "Texas Election Results: 23rd Congressional District". New York Times. November 3, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2021.

External links

U.S. House of Representatives Preceded byWill Hurd Member of the U.S. House of Representativesfrom Texas's 23rd congressional district 2021–present Incumbent Preceded byMario Díaz-Balart Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference 2022–present Served alongside: Mario Díaz-Balart U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) Preceded byCarlos A. Giménez United States representatives by seniority 384th Succeeded byBob Good
Texas's current delegation to the United States Congress
Current members of the United States House of Representatives
Texas's delegation(s) to the 117th – present United States Congresses (ordered by seniority)
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