Anthony Gonzalez | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |||||||||
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's16th district | |||||||||
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 | |||||||||
| Preceded by | Jim Renacci | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished | ||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||
| Born | (1984-09-18)September 18, 1984 (age 41) Elyria, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Political party | Republican | ||||||||
| Spouse | Elizabeth Gonzalez | ||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||
| Education | Ohio State University (BA) Stanford University (MBA) | ||||||||
| Website | House website | ||||||||
| Football career | |||||||||
| No. 11 | |||||||||
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 193 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) | ||||||||
| College | Ohio State (2003–2006) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2007: 1st round, 32nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Anthony E. Gonzalez (born September 18, 1984) is an American politician and former professionalfootball player. He served two terms as theU.S. representative forOhio's 16th congressional district from 2019 to 2023.
He playedcollege football for theOhio State Buckeyes and was selected by theIndianapolis Colts with the final pick in the first round of the2007 NFL draft. Following his sports career, which was cut short by injuries, he enrolled in graduate studies atStanford University and earned a master's degree.
Gonzalez was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2018, sworn in on January 3, 2019,[1] and reelected in 2020.[2] In September 2021, Gonzalez announced he would not seek another term.[3]
Gonzalez's maternal grandfather was aWorld War II veteran.[4] HisCuban-American father immigrated to the U.S. fromCuba afterFidel Castro took power.[5] His father is president of Ferragon Corporation, a steel company.[5]
Gonzalez attended St. Joseph grade school inAvon Lake, Ohio, andSaint Ignatius High School inCleveland, Ohio, where he was a standout in both football and track. In football, he was a two-way player. As a senior, he was a first-team All-state honoree as well as theAssociated Press andThe Plain Dealer Co-defensive Player of the Year, catching 71 passes for 1,873 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns. His 26.4 yards per catch set a school record. In track, he lettered for four years and qualified for the state finals as a junior and senior. Gonzalez also played basketball as a freshman.[citation needed] He attended Ohio State University and was an Academic All-American majoring in philosophy,[6] in which he earned a bachelor's degree.
Gonzalez was a three-year letterman atOhio State University, playing with fellow future NFL wide receiversSantonio Holmes,Ted Ginn Jr., andRoy Hall, as well asHeisman Trophy-winning quarterbackTroy Smith. As a junior, Gonzalez was an All-Big Ten choice by league coaches.[6] He finished his college career playing in the2007 BCS National Championship Game, where the Buckeyes lost to the Florida Gators 41–14.
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2004 | Ohio State | 8 | 8 | 179 | 22.4 | 2 |
| 2005 | Ohio State | 12 | 28 | 373 | 13.3 | 3 |
| 2006 | Ohio State | 13 | 51 | 734 | 14.4 | 8 |
| Total | 33 | 87 | 1,286 | 14.8 | 13 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.44 s | 1.57 s | 2.59 s | 4.08 s | 6.54 s | 38 in (0.97 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | 16 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[7][8][9] | ||||||||||||
Gonzalez was selected by theIndianapolis Colts with the 32nd selection in the2007 NFL draft, and was taken to become the Colts' slot receiver. He was one of three Ohio State receivers selected in that draft.[10]
In Gonzalez's first year, he caught 37 passes for 576 yards and three touchdowns. The next season he caught 57 passes for 664 yards and four touchdowns.
In 2009, Gonzalez earned the starting wide receiver position along withReggie Wayne afterMarvin Harrison was released from the team in the off-season. He injured his right knee during the season opener againstJacksonville Jaguars and was expected to miss up to eight weeks.[11] He failed to return that season and was placed oninjured reserve on December 24.
In 2010, Gonzalez lost the starting wide receiver position due to missing the 2009 season. He played in a total of two games as a slot receiver with five catches for 67 yards and no touchdowns. He injured his left leg in week eight against the Houston Texans and was placed on Injured Reserve for the rest of the year.
Gonzalez's role in the Colts offense diminished even further during the 2011 season. He played in only eight games and did not catch a pass. He became an unrestricted free agent in the following off-season.
During Gonzalez's time with Indianapolis, the Colts won threeAFC South Division titles (2007, 2009, 2010), anAFC Championship (2009), and a trip toSuper Bowl XLIV.
On March 17, 2012, Gonzalez signed with theNew England Patriots.[12] The Patriots released him on May 29, 2012.[13]
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2007 | IND | 13 | 9 | 37 | 576 | 15.6 | 57 | 3 |
| 2008 | IND | 16 | 2 | 57 | 664 | 11.6 | 58 | 4 |
| 2009 | IND | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | IND | 2 | 0 | 5 | 67 | 13.4 | 34 | 0 |
| 2011 | IND | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 12 | 99 | 1,307 | 13.2 | 58 | 7 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2007 | IND | 1 | 0 | 4 | 79 | 19.8 | 55 | 1 |
| 2008 | IND | 1 | 1 | 6 | 97 | 16.2 | 36 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 10 | 176 | 17.6 | 55 | 1 | |
Gonzalez decided to retire from sports and enrolled in theStanford Graduate School of Business in September 2012,[14] from which he received a master of business administration degree.
In 2018, Gonzalez filed to run as a Republican for theUnited States House of Representatives inOhio's 16th congressional district. His predecessor,Jim Renacci, was retiring to mount an unsuccessfulSenate campaign against incumbentSherrod Brown. Gonzalez won the November 6 election with 57% of the vote, becoming the first Latino to represent Ohio in Congress.[1][15] He raised more than $525,000 in less than a month after announcing his run, including donations from former NFL teammatePeyton Manning,Cleveland Browns ownerJimmy Haslam, and several other former NFL and college football players.[16][17] Along with Texas DemocratColin Allred, he was one of two former NFL players to be elected to Congress in 2018.
Gonzalez defeated the Democratic nominee, physicist Aaron Paul Godfrey,[18] 63.2% to 36.8%.[19]
Gonzalez originally ran for reelection in the 16th district, prompting a primary challenge from Republicans who supported former PresidentDonald Trump due to Gonzalez's impeachment vote.[20] Ohio's slow population growth in the2020 United States census made the district obsolete as of 2023, leaving the campaigns' statuses unclear.[21] On September 16, Gonzalez announced he would not run for Congress in 2022.[3]
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The House of Representativesimpeached PresidentDonald Trump on December 18, 2019, claiming Trump had abused the power of his office and obstructed the will of Congress by seeking foreign aid to influence the results of the 2020 election against challengerJoe Biden. Gonzalez voted not to impeach Trump, saying there was not enough evidence.[22]
TheSenate voted mostly on party lines to acquit Trump of the charges on February 5, 2020.[23]
Just 12 days before the end of Trump's term, the House passeda second impeachment resolution with one article claiming "incitement of insurrection", before and during theU.S. Capitol attack. Gonzalez was one of ten Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for this offense.[24][25][26] The Senate again acquitted Trump.
Ohio Republican Party chairBob Paduchik said the second impeachment resolution addressed "an unconstitutional, politically motivated process that served no purpose." As a result of his vote to impeach Trump, the Ohio Republican Central Committee voted to censure Gonzalez, stating that Gonzalez had "betrayed his constituents" and "relied on emotions rather than the will of his constituents and any credible facts".[27] Gonzalez and his family received continual threats following the impeachment vote, and he took additional security measures to protect his wife and family.[28]
On May 19, 2021, Gonzalez was one of 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish theJanuary 6 commission meant to investigate thestorming of the U.S. Capitol.[29] In retaliation, Trump endorsed former White House aideMax Miller in the 2022 primary for the seat.[30]
On October 21, 2021, Gonzalez was one of nine House Republicans who voted to holdSteve Bannon in contempt of Congress.[31] On November 5, 2021, he was among the 13 House Republicans to break with their party and vote with a majority of Democrats in favor of theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.[32]
Gonzalez voted for the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1158) which effectively prohibits ICE from cooperating with Health and Human Services to detain or remove illegal alien sponsors of unaccompanied alien children (UACs).[33]
On July 19, 2022, Gonzalez was one of 47 Republican Representatives to vote for theRespect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.[34]
Gonzalez voted for H.R. 8373 ("The Right to Contraception Act"), a bill designed to protect access to contraceptives and health care providers' ability to provide contraceptives and information about contraception.[35] It would also fundPlanned Parenthood.[36]
In 2022, Gonzalez was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[37][38]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Anthony Gonzalez | 34,056 | 53.06 | |
| Republican | Christina Hagan | 26,185 | 40.79 | |
| Republican | Michael Grusenmeyer | 3,946 | 6.15 | |
| Total votes | 64,187 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Anthony Gonzalez | 170,029 | 56.7 | ||
| Democratic | Susan Moran Palmer | 129,681 | 43.3 | ||
| Total votes | 299,710 | 100.0 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Anthony Gonzalez (incumbent) | 43,026 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 43,026 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Anthony Gonzalez (incumbent) | 247,335 | 63.2 | |
| Democratic | Aaron Paul Godfrey | 144,071 | 36.8 | |
| Total votes | 391,406 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Gonzalez, his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children live inRocky River, Ohio.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's 16th congressional district 2019–2023 | Constituency abolished |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
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| People | |
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| Other | |
