Gonzales puts nation before party
Tony Gonzales put country before party, and the result has been a stunning political defeat for Jim Jordan in his bid for House speaker. It says a lot that not having a House speaker is superior to empowering Jordan, who lost three votes before ending his bid.
Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, has no business being anywhere near the House speaker’s gavel. His extremism, closeness to former President Donald Trump and denial of the 2020 presidential election are untenable. That he came so close, garnering the votes of 200 Republicans in the first round of voting, was somehow disheartening and uplifting. Disheartening that he would receive any support, but uplifting that 20 Republicans, including Gonzales, opposed someone so clearly unqualified.
In a second vote, the momentum continued in the right direction, with 22 Republicans, again including Gonzales, opposing Jordan. On Friday morning came a third vote, with 25 Republicans voting against Jordan. The chaos comes at a crucial global moment with President Joe Biden seeking an aid package of $105 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and immigration at the U.s.-mexico border.
With no path forward, Jordan finally accepted political reality. The GOP will resume the quest for a new speaker Monday, but the fundamentals of the House have not changed. In a closely divided House, Republicans have few votes to spare.
This brings us to Gonzales, an increasingly consequential member of Congress, who represents part of San Antonio in a district that stretches west to El Paso and runs along the U.s.mexico border. Gonzales was a key ally to former House Speaker Kevin Mccarthy of California. After members of the extreme right Freedom Caucus ousted Mccarthy as House speaker, Gonzales shifted his support to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
In all three votes, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth, chairwoman of the House appropriations committee, and Gonzales, an appropriations member, backed Scalise. A third Texas Republican, U.S. Rep. Jake Ellzey of Waxahachie, also opposed Jordan.
There are many reasons to have opposed Jordan. Gonzales and Granger may have been concerned about Jordan’s hard-line approach on spending, particularly the possibility of acrossthe-board cuts to military spending (a relevant matter here in Military City, USA).
He is also an ineffective lawmaker when it comes to passing legislation — perhaps a point of pride for a founding member of the ever-dysfunctional House Freedom Caucus.
But also looming over Jordan’s speakership bid were his close ties to Trump and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Jordan voted to reject the presidential election results in Pennsylvania and Arizona. According to the House Jan. 6 Committee’s final report, Jordan spoke with White House staffers and Trump allies about how to overturn the election or delay the electoral certification; and he spoke with Trump twice on Jan. 6, 2021, although it’s unclear what was discussed and one call occurred in the morning.
The extreme right will criticize Gonzales for his opposition to Jordan, just as the Republican Party of Texas censured Gonzales in March for the transgression of occasional bipartisanship, citing votes codifying same-sex marriage and supporting the bipartisan gun safety law after the mass shooting in Uvalde, which he represents.
But Gonzales is not the problem in today’s politics. He is a pragmatic conservative who has demonstrated a willingness to vote his conscience and his district. In opposing Jordan, he put the nation first. That may generate ultra-right scorn, but it deserves widespread voter support.
Congressman takes stand by opposing Jordan for House speaker