Press release
On Tuesday, State Representative Lance Gooden (R-Terrell) announced his run for Congress before an overflow crowd in Kaufman County at a rally celebrating property owners’ victory in an annexation battle that has raged on for months. A Dallas County city tried to fast-track the annexation of land in Kaufman County and Rep. Gooden organized the successful opposition.
“Seven years ago, I ran for this seat in the Texas House because I was tired of do-nothing politicians in Austin who were failing to protect our freedoms, our property, our values, and our tax dollars,” Gooden said. “Since then, we have fought together to move the conservative agenda forward, and together we have delivered one victory after another for the families of rural Texas. There is no better example of the power of a dedicated group of conservatives than this victory over the big government forces who believed that our land belonged to them.”
Gooden, who represents the citizens of Henderson and Kaufman counties in Austin, has been widely recognized as one of the most effective leaders in the Texas House for his ability to turn sound, conservative policy into law. A few of his legislative achievements during his three terms in the House of Representatives include:
- Banning sanctuary cities in Texas and fully funding the most comprehensive state border security plan in the nation
- Successfully de-funding Planned Parenthood, banning partial birth abortion, and strengthening Texas’ Alternatives to Abortion program
- Writing and passing the state’s most conservative budget
- Crusading against Obamacare and voting to block its expansion into Texas
- Fighting for our local public schools and defeating a voucher plan that would have sent tax dollars to unaccountable entities
- Rescuing our retired teachers’ health insurance system from bankruptcy and collapse
- Defending religious liberty and successfully fighting to keep “Christ” in Christmas in Texas law
“As proud as I am of the things we have achieved together in Austin when I look at the Washington swamp, I see a political class of insiders in both parties who are failing the people they are intended to represent,” Gooden continued. “They have failed to secure our border in spite of Republican majorities. They have piled trillions of dollars of debt on the shoulders of the next generation, and now we learn they are secretly using tax dollars to settle sexual harassment claims against members of Congress. Yet they still can’t find the funds to properly care for our military veterans who have sacrificed so much for us. This is simply immoral, and I feel called to do something about it.”
“Make no mistake, the Washington establishment will not go quietly. They are already lining up behind their hand-picked candidates, many of whom do not even live in our district and who couldn’t find Alto or Elmo on a map if their lives depended on it.”
“We need a new Congressman of East Texas, by East Texas and for East Texas who understands the traditional values that we share, and who knows that our churches and our schools and our shops on Main Street are the lifeblood of our communities. Our way of life is sacred, and it is worth fighting to protect and defend our children and our children’s children. With your support and your prayers, I am ready to go to Washington and do the same thing that I did in Austin – roll up my sleeves, fight for you, and win for you.”
Rep. Gooden has deep roots in Congressional District 5. He grew up in Terrell, graduated from Terrell High School, and earned degrees from the University of Texas. He works in business development, and his wife, Alexa, is a real estate agent. They live in Terrell where they attend the Rockwall and Brin Church of Christ. The Gooden’s are expecting their first child, a baby boy, in February.
Rep. Gooden rolled out endorsements of mayors and elected officials across the district who have encouraged him to run for Congress, including Athens Mayor Monte Montgomery, Chandler Mayor Libby Fulgham, Coffee City Mayor Pam Drost, Crandall Mayor Mike Parker, Eustace Mayor Dustin Shelton, Forney Mayor Rick Wilson, Gun Barrel City Mayor Jim Braswell, Kaufman Mayor Jeff Jordan, Kemp Mayor Laura Peace, Mabank Mayor Jeff Norman, Rosser Mayor Shannon Corder, Terrell Mayor D.J. Ory, Kaufman County Sheriff Bryan Beavers, Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, and Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Wiley.
Visit Gooden’s Facebook page at @lancegoodenfortexas for regular updates from the campaign trail.