Primary challengers emerge for Gonzalez
U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez – who bucked the Republican Party in voting to impeach former President Donald Trump – will likely face a primary challenge next year.
One Republican already has announced that he’s running against Gonzalez, while two others, including one with ties to the White House, are considering it.
Gonzalez, a former Ohio State star and wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts who lives in Rocky River, has experienced political fallout from his impeachment vote last month. Trump won more than 53% of Ohio’s vote in November.
Max Miller, who was a deputy campaign manager of operations for the Trump campaign and a senior White House adviser, said Monday that he hasn’t made a decision yet on running.
“I’m considering it and expect to make a decision in the next few weeks,” said Miller, who lives in Rocky River.
He declined to publicly divulge his rationale for running against Gonzalez, who represents the 16th Congressional District. The district covers portions of Stark, Summit, Cuyahoga, Medina and Portage counties, and all of Wayne County.
With the decennial U.S. Census population data delayed due to the pandemic, it’s not clear yet what congressional district lines will look like for congressional elections in 2022.
Politico reported Monday based on an anonymous source that GOP donors have committed to contributing a sixfigure amount to Miller’s campaign if he decides to run. And that he’s willing to spend a significant amount of his own money as well.
Miller, 32, is a Cleveland State University graduate, a Marine reservist, and the grandson of Samuel H. Miller, a Cleveland developer and philanthropist who died in 2019 at the age of 97.
If Miller launches a campaign for Congress, he won’t be the first candidate in the race.
Cleveland Republican Jonah Schulz, who ran unsuccessfully last year to be the Republican nominee for Ohio’s 11th Congressional District, has declared he will mount a primary challenge against Gonzalez.
He made a campaign stop at Mulligan’s Restaurant and Pub in Jackson Township on Sunday and said he addressed about 50 people. The campaign appearance was a short distance from Gonzalez’s district office on Belden Village Street NW.
Schulz said he announced his candidacy early because it would take time and additional energy to mount a credible campaign against an incumbent.
“The impeachment vote shows who Anthony Gonzalez truly is,” Schulz, a native of Chardon and a director of two nonprofits, said Monday. “This impeachment vote which was unconstitutional. No evidence. No due process. It wasn’t just an attack on President Trump. What it was was a direct assault on the 74 million Trump voters and anyone who would dare stand up to the corrupt political establishment in Washington.”
In addition, Gonzalez’ former primary opponent from 2018, Christina Hagan, the former Republican state representative from Marlboro Township, has not ruled out jumping into the race.
She issued this statement Monday: “It’s important to see where the district lines are and regardless of who runs and what those lines look like I will always work to be a champion for the conservative ideals of Northeast Ohio. Our decision will be based off of prayer, people being served and how we can make the most meaningful impact for our community.”
Gonzalez’s chief of staff, Tim Lolli, said Gonzalez isn’t thinking about potential challengers.
“He has always been and will continue to be entirely focused on strengthening the Northeast Ohio economy, helping to open schools for our families and children and lowering the cost of health care,” he said.
On Feb. 8, the Strongsville Republican Party called for Gonzalez to resign. Its resolution says Gonzalez “betrayed his constituents ... when he voted with Democrats in their unconstitutional pursuit to impeach President Trump, without due process” and “violated his oath of office.” The Medina County Republican Party also voted on Feb. 3 to censure Gonzalez for his vote.
In a statement after the impeachment vote, Gonzalez wrote that Trump “helped organize and incite” the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The deadline for 2022 congressional candidates to file petitions to get on the May 2022 primary ballot is in early February 2022.