Lance Gooden | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's5th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jeb Hensarling |
| Member of theTexas House of Representatives from the4th district | |
| In office January 10, 2017 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Stuart Spitzer |
| Succeeded by | Keith Bell |
| In office January 11, 2011 – January 13, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Betty Brown |
| Succeeded by | Stuart Spitzer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lance Carter Gooden (1982-12-01)December 1, 1982 (age 43) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Texas, Austin (BA,BBA) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Lance Carter Gooden[1] (born December 1, 1982) is an American politician serving as theU.S. representative forTexas's 5th congressional district since 2019.[2] His district includes parts of easternDallas, as well as a large swath of exurban and rural territory to Dallas's east.
A member of theRepublican Party, Gooden served as theTexas State Representative for the4th district (Henderson County andKaufman County) from 2011 to 2015. He lost his reelection bid in the 2014 Republican primary election but was returned to office in the 2016 election for a non-consecutive third term in the state legislature before he ran for Congress.
A native ofTerrell inKaufman County, an eastern suburb of Dallas, Gooden graduated from theUniversity of Texas at Austin, from which he received aBachelor of Arts in government in 2001 at the age of 19 and aBBA in finance in 2004 at the age of 22.[3]
In the 2010primary election, Gooden won 50.5% of the vote, upsetting six-term incumbent Republican RepresentativeBetty Brown.[4] Gooden had once been Brown's legislative assistant.[citation needed]
Upon taking office in 2011, Gooden worked on the state budget in an attempt to eliminate wasteful spending. He served on the House Appropriations, County Affairs, and House Administration committees, the last of which handles employment by the House. In 2010, Gooden did not have aDemocratic opponent in his heavily Republican district.[5][6] In 2011, Gooden assisted hotel mogulMonty Bennett in his fight against theTarrant Regional Water District, pushing legislation to designate Bennett's 1,000-acre ranch as a municipal utility district and granting immunity from a proposed water pipeline through the property.[7]
Gooden won renomination to a second term in the Republican primary on May 29, 2012. He polled 6,385 votes (53.5%) to his opponent Stuart Spitzer's 5,545 (46.5%).[8][9] Gooden was unopposed for a second term in the November 6 general election. In 2014, Gooden again faced Spitzer for reelection, but this time lost to Spitzer in a close race.[10]
Gooden staged a comeback and unseated Spitzer in the March 1, 2016 Republican primary with 14,500 votes (51.8%) to 13,502 (48.2%). He returned to the State House in January 2017.[11]
Gooden won the Republican nomination for the 5th congressional district and the November 6 general election, receiving 62.7% of the vote.[2]
Gooden was reelected on November 3, receiving 62% of the vote.
In December 2020, Gooden was one of 126 Republican members of theHouse of Representatives to sign anamicus brief in support ofTexas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at theUnited States Supreme Court contesting the results of the2020 presidential election, in whichJoe Biden defeated[12] incumbentDonald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lackedstanding underArticle III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[13][14][15]
House SpeakerNancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." She also reprimanded Gooden and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[16][17] New Jersey Democratic RepresentativeBill Pascrell, called for Pelosi to not seat Gooden and the other Republicans who signed onto the brief supporting the suit, arguing that "thetext of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[18]
Gooden voted against certifying theelectors from Arizona and Pennsylvania in the2020 United States presidential election[19] and voted against thesecond impeachment of Donald Trump following the2021 United States Capitol attack.[20]
On March 3, 2021, Gooden was the only House Republican to vote for theGeorge Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed 220–212. Later that evening, he tweeted that he voted for the bill "accidentally", claiming he pushed the wrong button, a mistake he failed to notice in time.[21] Gooden then tweeted that he had "arguably the most conservative/America First voting record in Congress", and "Of course I wouldn't support the radical left's, Anti-Police Act". According to Gooden, he had the official record changed to reflect his opposition.[22]
In June 2021, Gooden was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal theAuthorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.[23][24]
Gooden voted against the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 which authorizes DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.[25][26]
Gooden voted to support Israel following the2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[27][28]
On July 19, 2022, Gooden did not vote for theRespect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.[29]
In August 2022, he co-sponsored a bill put forth byMarjorie Taylor Greene that would criminalizegender-affirming health care for trans youth.[30]
In October 2022,Politico reported that Gooden criticized some US-based financial executives for attending theGlobal Financial Leaders' Investment Summit, saying: "The hypocrisy is staggering and every financial institution enabling China's atrocities should be ashamed."[31]
In February 2023, after U.S. RepresentativeJudy Chu defendedDominic Ng, a Biden administration appointee, from allegations he was tied toChinese Communist Party (CCP)front organizations, Gooden criticized Chu onFox News. Gooden toldJesse Watters "I question her either loyalty or competence." A House GOP letter to theFBI implied that Chu, who isChinese-American had links to CCP front groups, prompting theCongressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) to condemn this letter. Gooden further criticized CAPAC, stating "We’re standing up to communist China and these Democrats’ first reaction is to come to their defense and call us all racists. I'm really disappointed and shocked that someone like Judy Chu would have a security clearance and be entitled to confidential intelligence briefings until this is figured out." Chu denounced Gooden's remarks as "racist", while House Democratic leaderHakeem Jeffries accused Gooden of xenophobia. In response, Gooden said "Chu and Jeffries are playing the race card in a sick display of disloyalty to our nation."[32][33]
In September 2021, nonprofit groupCampaign Legal Center filed an ethics complaint against Gooden with theOffice of Congressional Ethics, claiming that Gooden appeared to have violated theStop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012, a federal transparency and conflict-of-interest law, by failing to properly disclose a dozen purchases of stock worth between $60,019 and $376,000 that he made in 2020.[34] In response, Gooden claimed that all of the transactions in question fell short of the mandatory federal reporting threshold of $1,000.[35]
In October 5, 2023, Gooden signed a letter to theHouse Agriculture Committee along with 15 House Republicans opposing the inclusion of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act in the 2023farm bill. The EATS Act, introduced in response to the California farmanimal welfare lawProposition 12, would have overturned state and localanimal welfare laws restricting the sale of agricultural goods from animals raised inbattery cages,gestation crates, andveal crates.The letter argued that the legislation would infringe onstates' rights and disproportionately benefit foreign-owned agribusinesses like the Chinese-owned pork producerWH Group.[36]
In 2025, Gooden reintroduced the No Tax Dollars for the United Nation's Immigration Invasion Act. The proposed law bars the United States from fundingUnited Nations agencies related to migration, includingUNRWA. Gooden alleged that the United Nations was funding an invasion of the United States by immigrants, stating "It’s time to stop subsidizing our own destruction. The United Nations is running a taxpayer-funded operation to funnel illegal immigrants into our country, threatening our sovereignty, security, and the very fabric of our nation.[37]
In April 2024, Gooden voted against the $60 billion military aid package for Ukraine;The Washington Post reported that some of the funding would have supported defense jobs in his constituency.[38]
At the presidential address on March 4, 2025, Gooden grabbed a sign out of RepresentativeMelanie Stansbury's hands that read "This is not normal", and threw it behind him in theHouse Chamber.[39][40][41]
Gooden supports theMojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), an organization of Iranian dissidents living in exile inAlbania. Gooden is a founding member of the Congressional ASHRAF Protection and Rights Advocacy Caucus, formed to support the MEK. Gooden said the Caucus would "support the humanitarian and democratic rights of Iranian dissidents living in Ashraf-3, Albania, and worldwide, fighting for regime change and freedom in Iran.” The MEK's compound atCamp Ashraf 3 was raided by the Albanian government after the organization was accused ofcybercrimes. The organization has been accused of having "cult-like tendencies".[42]
On June 23, 2025, Gooden,Deborah Ross, andDina Titus introduced the Pro Codes Act.[43] If enacted, the bill would allow private, for-profit corporations to claim copyright of laws based on the "model codes" they sell to government bodies. This would overturn cases likeVeeck v. Southern Building Code Congress Int'l that have held that the public has the right to view, copy, dissect, and critique laws they are held to regardless of the authorship of the text.
For the119th Congress:[44]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lance Gooden | 17,501 | 29.9 | |
| Republican | Bunni Pounds | 12,895 | 22.0 | |
| Republican | Sam Deen | 10,102 | 17.2 | |
| Republican | Kenneth Sheets | 7,011 | 12.0 | |
| Republican | Jason Wright | 6,675 | 11.4 | |
| Republican | Danny Campbell | 1,767 | 3.0 | |
| Republican | David Williams | 1,603 | 2.7 | |
| Republican | Charles Lingerfelt | 1,023 | 1.8 | |
| Total votes | 58,777 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lance Gooden | 18,364 | 54.0 | |
| Republican | Bunni Pounds | 15,634 | 46.0 | |
| Total votes | 33,998 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lance Gooden | 130,617 | 62.3 | |
| Democratic | Dan Wood | 78,666 | 37.6 | |
| Independent | Phil Gray (write-in) | 224 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 209,507 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lance Gooden (incumbent) | 173,836 | 62.0 | |
| Democratic | Carolyn Salter | 100,743 | 35.9 | |
| Libertarian | Kevin Hale | 5,834 | 2.1 | |
| Total votes | 280,413 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lance Gooden (incumbent) | 135,595 | 63.97 | |
| Democratic | Tartisha Hill | 71,930 | 33.93 | |
| Libertarian | Kevin Hale | 4,293 | 2.03 | |
| Write-in | Ruth Torres | 147 | 0.07 | |
| Total votes | 211,965 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lance Gooden (incumbent) | 192,185 | 64.1 | |
| Democratic | Ruth Torres | 107,712 | 35.9 | |
| Total votes | 299,897 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
On October 1, 2016, Gooden married Alexa Calligas, whose family is fromShreveport,Louisiana.[54] They reside in Terrell with their two children.[55]
Gooden grew up attending the Rockwall and BrinChurch of Christ inTerrell, Texas, and remains a member of that congregation.[56]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 5th congressional district 2019–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 206th | Succeeded by |
