(RepublicanNews.org) – Breaking ranks with his party may earn U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales a censure from his Texas colleagues.
After being censured by the Medina County Republicans for his votes on same-sex marriage, immigration, gun control, and more, the Texas Republican Party is considering whether to issue its own condemnation of Gonzales. The state party is set to meet in Austin on March 4th to decide the issue.
If the state resolution passes, Gonzales could face a number of disciplinary actions. These could include the party allowing other GOP state officials to campaign against him, or denying Gonzales funding for his next election campaign.
The Medina County Republicans complain that Gonzales is a “poor representative for his Republican constituents. The group cited the lawmaker’s vote to support President Joe Biden’s “Respect for Marriage Act.” This act created federal legal protections for same-sex marriages and repealed the earlier “Defense of Marriage Act,” which had defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
The group said Gonzales had a pattern of taking actions in direct opposition to the Republican party’s core principles.
When the Texas Republican Party considers the censure resolution, they will need three-fifths of the executive committee to vote in favor of it if the resolution is to carry.
Seen as a moderate Republican, Gonzales represents Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, which includes an area from western San Antonio to El Paso.
Both the state and local Republican parties are concerned with Gonzales’ voting record on mainstream conservative issues such as traditional views of marriage and family. But those aren’t the only gripes they have with the representative.
Members are also displeased with Gonzales’ vote against the House GOP rules changes and his failure to support border control legislation backed by every other Texas Republican. Republicans are also unhappy with his vote for a bipartisan gun control law offered in the wake of recent shootings.
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