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NH

Tony

Gonzales

Republican
TX
-23
Del Rio, Socorro, Eagle Pass
Tony Gonzales

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Personal Background

Birthdate

10/10/80 (40)

Race/Ethnicity

Hispanic/Latinx

Gender Identification

M

Religion

Catholic

Family

Married, 6 children

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Master’s in International Relations, American Public University; Graduate Certificate in Legislative Studies, Georgetown University; Ph.D. Candidate in International Relations, University of Southern Mississippi

KEY HEALTH LINK

Gonzales lives with a pre-existing condition. He was hospitalized for 23 days in 2019 after being incorrectly intubated during a routine hernia repair. He was in a coma for three days, suffering brain trauma and kidney failure for which he undertook dialysis. Gonzales’ voice is permanently raspy because of the trauma.

Political/Professional Background

LEGISLATIVE EXPERIENCE

Community Representative for the City of San Antonio Head Start Policy Council, 2018-2020

2020 ELECTION CONTEXT

Gonzales won the Republican nomination for Texas’s 23rd Congressional District following a runoff election against Raul Reyes, which came down to a 39 vote lead with nearly 25,000 cast. He ran against Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones to succeed Republican Will Hurd in representing the district.

INCUMBENT REPLACED

Will Hurd (R), retired

MOST RECENT PROFESSION

Community Representative for the City of San Antonio Head Start Policy Council

POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY

Gonzales’s career experience includes working as a cryptologist with the U.S. Navy. He has served in public office at the local level before being elected to the House.

On The Issues

COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Gonzales supports a second stimulus package but not the HEROES Act that the House passed in May because of its large price tag. His main focus is on helping small businesses.

HEALTH COVERAGE

Gonzales wants to repeal and replace the ACA but ensure coverage is available for people with pre-existing conditions. He believes that, "We need to move back towards a free market system that allows health care companies to properly compete against each other for free enterprise and competitive rates. The exponential rise in health care costs for citizens is unacceptable and we need to return back to free enterprise. Pre-existing conditions will be covered to ensure that citizens are covered and not left between the cracks."

MARIJUANA

Gonzales opposes the legalization of marijuana.

MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION

Gonzales said his first priority after strengthening and protecting the southern border is to "take steps to address our Veterans' mental health care and military families who are suffering."

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

No Data

VETERANS HEALTH CARE

Gonzales said his first priority after strengthening and protecting the southern border is to "take steps to address our Veterans' mental health care and military families who are suffering."

WOMEN’S HEALTH

Gonzales is "100% pro-life." He opposes the Supreme Court's "flawed decision in Roe v. Wade" which has "resulted in the death of over 60 million innocent babies." Gonzales "strongly supports the nuclear family."

OTHER HEALTH CARE ISSUES

Gonzales supports increased funding for community health centers and bolstered protections for private practices. He also served as a community representative for the Head Start board. He has been vocal about the disparities of Hispanic health care in his district. His appreciation for public health systems is driven partly by his "humble beginnings" with a "strong single mother [who] raised me in shelters for battered women."

DID YOU KNOW?

Gonzales dropped out of high school. When he joined the Navy, he did not know how to swim. He founded the Tony Gonzales Foundation, a non-profit focused on empowering and encourage growth and development in impoverished areas of San Antonio.