Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, one of the ten Republicans to vote for Donald Trump’s second impeachment, announced Thursday that he wasn’t seeking re-election in 2022, citing the “the toxic dynamics inside our own party.”
Gonzalez, who has represented Ohio’s 16th congressional district since 2019, told The New York Times that Trump is “a cancer for the country” and said he’s turning away from politics to “build a fuller family life.”
The former NFL wide receiver, a Cuban American, was once viewed as a rising star within the Republican party. He earned a M.B.A from Stanford after injuries derailed his athletic career and he consistently espoused conservative principals. But he became a pariah within the GOP for criticizing Trump’s election conspiracy theories.
Trump was reportedly hellbent on punishing the 36-year-old. In February, the former president endorsed Max Miller, who was set to challenge Gonzalez in a Republican primary. Announcing the endorsement in Ohio, Trump said of Gonzalez: “He’s a sellout, he’s a fake Republican, and a disgrace to your state, I will tell you that.”
In an interview with The Times, Gonzalez said the rancor was getting to him:
Mr. Gonzalez said that quality-of-life issues had been paramount in his decision. He recounted an “eye-opening” moment this year: when he and his family were greeted at the Cleveland airport by two uniformed police officers, part of extra security precautions taken after the impeachment vote.
“That’s one of those moments where you say, ‘Is this really what I want for my family when they travel, to have my wife and kids escorted through the airport?’” he said.
In a statement, Gonzalez added that it had become “clear that the best path for our family is not to seek reelection next fall.”
Gonzalez also cited the GOP’s continued fealty to Trump as another major factor in his retirement from Congress.
“This is the direction that we’re going to go in for the next two years and potentially four, and it’s going to make Trump the center of fund-raising efforts and political outreach,” Gonzalez told The Times. “That’s not something I’m going to be part of.”
Citing Trump’s election falsehoods, Gonzalez added “We’ve learned the wrong lesson as a party, but beyond that, and more importantly, it’s horribly irresponsible and destructive for the country.”
Trump mocked Gonzalez’s decision, releasing a statement reading, “RINO Congressman Anthony Gonzalez, who has poorly represented his district in the Great State of Ohio, has decided to quit after enduring a tremendous loss of popularity, of which he had little, since his ill-informed and otherwise very stupid impeachment vote against the sitting President of the United States, me.”
NBC News writes that Gonzalez’s departure shows that “Trump is still winning the fight for the Republican Party’s heart and soul after his presidential defeat a year ago.”
But Gonzalez has vowed to keep challening Trump, telling The Times “I don’t believe [Trump] can ever be president again. Most of my political energy will be spent working on that exact goal.”
