Texas GOP to conduct censure vote of U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales for votes on guns, gay marriage

The Republican Party of Texas is expected to vote whether to censure U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, over his votes in defense of same-sex marriage and for a gun safety proposal, according to the San Antonio Report.

The vote is planned for the Texas GOP’s quarterly meeting in Austin this weekend, and party officials told the SA Report the two-term congressman was invited to attend but hasn’t said whether he’ll appear.

Gonzales didn’t respond to the online news site’s request for comment.

The Republican Party of Texas’ vote follows a similar censure approved by Medina County Republicans last month, according to SA Report. Members of the county’s party blasted Gonzales for breaking with Texas’ other House Republicans on same-sex marriage, gun safety and the majority’s new rules package.

County Republican parties have also criticized Gonzales for not lining up behind hardline immigration policies.

Gonzales’ 29-country district spans much of the Texas-Mexico border, and before being redrawn to favor Republicans, tended to flip between blue and red.

The congressman, whose district also includes Uvalde, the site of the school shooting that spurred the recent gun safety bill, is drawing increasing heat from the GOP base as he stakes out moderate positions.

Indeed, Gonzales has engaged in a public feud with U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, an immigration hardliner in Texas’ House delegation who’s proposed keeping asylum seekers locked up while they pursue their claims.

“Anyone who thinks a 3 page anti-immigration bill with 0% chance of getting signed into law is going to solve the border crisis should be buying beach front property in AZ,” Gonzales tweeted last month in an apparent slam of Roy’s bill. 

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This article appears in Feb 22 – Mar 7, 2023.