The Republican Party of Texas has officially censured Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of San Antonio, after the party found he had shown a lack of fidelity to Republican principles and priorities.
In the resolution, which was passed by the State Republican Executive Committee, Gonzales is taken to task for a number of violations, including decision to vote in favor of the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act,” which called for repealing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that recognized marriage as exclusively between one man and woman. Gonzales was the only Texas Republican to join Democrats in support of the measure on two separate votes.
Gonzales has also voted in support of restrictions on the Second Amendment, including so-called “red-flag” gun laws.
He has also been under fire for failing to support the Border Safety and Security Act of 2023, which called for the secretary of Homeland Security to prevent illegal aliens from entering the country.
The final vote by the SREC was 57 in favor, 5 opposed and 1 abstention.
The vote comes weeks after the Medina County GOP passed their own censure resolution, which was supported by 16 out of the 29 counties in Gonzales’s district.
The censure means Gonzales will be subject to the full penalties prescribed by the rules of the Texas GOP, which includes a prohibition on spending by the party in his race as well as authorization to spend up to 12 percent of the party’s general fund educating voters in his district about the censure.
Additionally, the party officially discouraged Gonzales from running in the 2024 Republican primary.
As of publishing, Gonzales has not responded to a request for comment from Texas Scorecard.
The full resolution may be viewed here.
