1. Lance Carter Gooden was born on December 1,1982 and is an American politician serving as the US representative for Texas's 5th congressional district since 2019.
22 Facts About Lance Gooden
1. 2.
Lance Gooden's district includes parts of eastern Dallas, as well as a large swath of exurban and rural territory to Dallas's east.
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Lance Gooden 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.
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Lance Gooden served on the House Appropriations, County Affairs, and House Administration committees, the last of which handles employment by the House.
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In 2010, Lance Gooden did not have a Democratic opponent in his heavily Republican district.
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In 2011, Lance Gooden assisted hotel mogul Monty Bennett in his fight against the Tarrant 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.
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Lance Gooden won renomination to a second term in the Republican primary on May 29,2012.
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Lance Gooden polled 6,385 votes to his opponent Stuart Spitzer's 5,545.
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In 2014, Lance Gooden again faced Spitzer for reelection, but this time lost to Spitzer in a close race.
10.
Lance Gooden staged a comeback and unseated Spitzer in the March 1,2016 Republican primary with 14,500 votes to 13,502.
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Lance Gooden returned to the State House in January 2017.
12.
In December 2020, Gooden was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump.
13.
Lance Gooden voted against certifying the electors from Arizona and Pennsylvania in the 2020 United States presidential election and voted against the second impeachment of Donald Trump following the 2021 United States Capitol attack.
14.
In June 2021, Lance Gooden was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.
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Lance 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.
16.
Lance Gooden voted to support Israel following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
17.
On July 19,2022, Lance Gooden did not vote for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.
18.
Lance Gooden has an "F" rating from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes.
19.
Lance Gooden was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.
20.
At the presidential address on March 4,2025, Lance Gooden grabbed a sign out of Representative Melanie Stansbury's hands that read "This is not normal", and threw it behind him in the House Chamber.
21.
On October 1,2016, Lance Gooden married Alexa Calligas, whose family is from Shreveport, Louisiana.
22.
Lance Gooden grew up attending the Rockwall and Brin Church of Christ in Terrell, Texas, and remains a member of that congregation.