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Chris Royal

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This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Chris Royal
Image of Chris Royal
Elections and appointments
Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Glendale High School

Bachelor's

Southwest Missouri State University, 1982

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1982 - 1990

Personal
Birthplace
Kokomo, Ind.
Religion
Christian: Catholic
Profession
Teacher
Contact

Chris Royal (independent) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 34th Congressional District. He was disqualified from the general election scheduled on November 5, 2024.

Royal completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Chris Royal was born in Kokomo, Indiana. He served in the U.S. Army from 1982 to 1990. He graduated from Glendale High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Southwest Missouri State University in 1982. His career experience includes working as a teacher, lawyer, author of a real estate textbook, computer programmer, and restaurateur. He has been affiliated with Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Gamma Delta.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2024

Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)

Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 34

Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez Jr. defeated Mayra Flores in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 34 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vicente Gonzalez Jr.
Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D)
 
51.3
 
102,780
Image of Mayra Flores
Mayra Flores (R)
 
48.7
 
97,603

Total votes: 200,383
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34

Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vicente Gonzalez Jr.
Vicente Gonzalez Jr.
 
100.0
 
27,745

Total votes: 27,745
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34

Mayra Flores defeated Laura Cisneros, Mauro Garza, and Gregory Kunkle Jr. in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mayra Flores
Mayra Flores
 
81.2
 
18,307
Image of Laura Cisneros
Laura Cisneros
 
8.8
 
1,991
Image of Mauro Garza
Mauro Garza
 
6.2
 
1,388
Image of Gregory Kunkle Jr.
Gregory Kunkle Jr. Candidate Connection
 
3.8
 
863

Total votes: 22,549
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 34

Brent Lewis advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 23, 2024.

Candidate
Brent Lewis (L)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Royal in this election.

2022

See also: Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 34

Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez Jr. defeated incumbent Mayra Flores and Chris Royal in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 34 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vicente Gonzalez Jr.
Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D)
 
52.7
 
70,896
Image of Mayra Flores
Mayra Flores (R) Candidate Connection
 
44.2
 
59,464
Image of Chris Royal
Chris Royal (Independent)
 
3.0
 
4,079

Total votes: 134,439
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 1, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Vicente Gonzalez Jr.
Vicente Gonzalez Jr.
 
64.8
 
23,531
Image of Laura Cisneros
Laura Cisneros
 
23.3
 
8,456
Image of Beatriz Reynoso
Beatriz Reynoso Candidate Connection
 
3.5
 
1,287
Image of William Thompson
William Thompson Candidate Connection
 
3.0
 
1,085
Filemon Meza
 
2.5
 
920
Image of Diego Zavala
Diego Zavala
 
2.0
 
718
Osbert Rodriguez Haro III
 
0.9
 
331

Total votes: 36,328
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34

Incumbent Mayra Flores defeated Frank McCaffrey, Gregory Kunkle Jr., and Juana Cantu-Cabrera in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 1, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mayra Flores
Mayra Flores Candidate Connection
 
60.3
 
9,490
Frank McCaffrey Candidate Connection
 
21.9
 
3,444
Image of Gregory Kunkle Jr.
Gregory Kunkle Jr. Candidate Connection
 
10.7
 
1,677
Image of Juana Cantu-Cabrera
Juana Cantu-Cabrera Candidate Connection
 
7.1
 
1,115

Total votes: 15,726
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

See also: Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2020

Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 34

Incumbent Filemon Vela defeated Rey Gonzalez Jr., Anthony Cristo, and Chris Royal in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 34 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Filemon Vela
Filemon Vela (D)
 
55.4
 
111,439
Image of Rey Gonzalez Jr.
Rey Gonzalez Jr. (R) Candidate Connection
 
41.8
 
84,119
Image of Anthony Cristo
Anthony Cristo (L)
 
1.6
 
3,222
Image of Chris Royal
Chris Royal (Independent)
 
1.1
 
2,247

Total votes: 201,027
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34

Incumbent Filemon Vela defeated Diego Zavala and Osbert Rodriguez Haro III in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Filemon Vela
Filemon Vela
 
75.1
 
39,484
Image of Diego Zavala
Diego Zavala Candidate Connection
 
18.5
 
9,707
Osbert Rodriguez Haro III Candidate Connection
 
6.5
 
3,413

Total votes: 52,604
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34

Rey Gonzalez Jr. defeated Rod Lingsch in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Rey Gonzalez Jr.
Rey Gonzalez Jr. Candidate Connection
 
56.3
 
10,665
Image of Rod Lingsch
Rod Lingsch
 
43.7
 
8,271

Total votes: 18,936
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 34

Anthony Cristo advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 21, 2020.

Candidate
Image of Anthony Cristo
Anthony Cristo (L)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Chris Royal completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Royal's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

My name is Chris B. Royal. I was born in Kokomo, Indiana. When I was 12 our family moved to Springfield, Missouri where my father had a restaurant, a Bonanza. I worked in my father's restaurant until I went away to college at the University of Missouri - Columbia. I finally graduated at SMSU in Springfield, Missouri with a BA in Philosophy and a minor in Ancient History. I wanted to go to Law School but lacked sufficient funds, so I joined the US Army. This turned into a 5-year stint at the Pentagon and the 1st Infantry Division in Fort Riley, Kansas. After this I pursued my legal education at the Kansas City School of Law and received my Juris Doctor in 1990. Shortly after graduation, I was called up for Desert Storm and went to Fort McPherson, Georgia, to serve our country. After this I spent a year in Arkansas teaching myself the computer programming language C++ and wrote a textbook on Real Estate. I combined the two to create a self-teaching system for real estate agents. Then I moved to the Dallas - Fort Worth area to market my computer program. Around this time, I went to Harlingen, Texas to visit one of my sisters and her family. I made the move permanent in 1993 holding down jobs in the legal, title business and teaching areas. I retired from teaching this year and look forward to serving the great people of the Rio Grande Valley in Congress in 2025. My wife and I have two children and attend Holy Family Catholic Church in Brownsville, TX.
  • Inflation is the enemy of hard-working families in the RGV. As an Independent I've been out gathering 500 signatures of registered voters so I can be on the ballot in November. Everyone I talk to says they are having difficulties in paying the rent, buying clothing and food for their children, and buying gas and insurance for their cars. So what's the solution? Easy. Stop the spending by the Federal Government. My opponents in the Democratic and Republican parties spent around $3.5 each in their last campaigns, so they must do what their parties say to do, namely, spend. I don't have to listen to either party and I can simply say no to additional spending by our Federal Government. So Vote Chris Royal this November.
  • Many politicians in Washington, D.C. say that we're a "Country of laws and not men." But do they really mean it? Currently, a hot issue is immigration. We wouldn't have this problem if the chief executive (the president) of our country would simply execute the laws on the books. If he did so, we would have a "country of laws" but he's not. When Richard Nixon authorized the burglarization of the DNC Headquarters (Watergate), the Democrats and Republicans could agree with what the law were and Richard Nixon resigned! We need new leadership who will do this exact thing, namely, executes the laws faithfully and don't look at political office as a way to line their own pockets.
  • Our freedoms are in jeopardy. Our current president has compromised himself by accepting money from countries like Russia and China. Where is this going to lead to? We've had several Chinese spy balloons invade our country. President Biden did not shoot the first one down because he was afraid that the falling balloon might hurt someone in Montana. Is he serious? So the balloon traveled across our country while survelling our nuclear missile sites. And now we face adversaries on our college campuses, in the South China Seas and in the Middle East. We need new leadership that will standup for our country and let all foes foreign and domestic know that we will stand up and fight for our freedoms. Enough is Enough - Vote Royal
Our Educational System, Social Security Benefits for our Seniors and the weaponization of the IRS, FBI and DOJ against conservative, faith-believing Christians. Topics are being taught in our schools that have no business in our children's classes. Period. Parents should have the right to know what is being taught to their children and have a voice in changing the curriculum if they don't agree with it. Seniors should get the amount of Social Security Benefits that they are entitled to because they've paid into the system. Finally, the IRS, FBI and other enforcement branches of the Federal Government should not be used to target and harass conservative and faith-believing Christians.
I looked up to my Dad. He is no longer with us. He was always a good and honest man. It's only after the fact that it really sets in as to how good a man my father was.
Books and films on the Battle of Midway. If one studies this battle, one will come to realize how close we were to losing our freedoms. Amazing Victory - covers the Battle of Midway from the perspectives of both sides (American and Japanese.) America's Master Spy - book on William Donohue the creator of the CIA and why it's important to know what our enemies are doing. Bill Burns documentaries, e.g., the Civil War is a good one.
NETFLIX - Testament: The Story of Moses. I also love biographies on YouTube put out by Epic History (Napolean, Alexander the Great, etc.) The book Love Story which is a historical fiction book on John Adams (2nd president of US) and his wife, Abigail. The Movie "Patton" and "Lawrence of Arabia." House of Cards - NETFLIX - fiction that shows the underbelly of politics
Government officials should be the servants of the people. That is, their job is simply to do their jobs and not meddle in business by creating excessive rules and regulations. I've heard of examples of the EPA stepping into a family's farming business and shutting them down and effectively taking away the free use of that family's farm because some administrator thinks that that administrator sitting behind a desk knows what is best for that famer than for the farmer himself. Or government agencies will issue "fines" that will bankrupt a family business.

Characteristics - honesty, truthfulness, above reproach - Government officials must be honest. If they are caught taking money under the table or tips on say the stock market, they should be banned from future work in the government sector.

Respect for other's property.
My ability to listen and visit with people and focus on their issues that are affecting them. And then moving on to what needs to be done to resolve the issues and getting them handled.
They should stick to the business at hand in their departments and not allow themselves to get into areas that are not their purview. They need to be concerned not about if the government is collecting enough in taxes to take care of the community infrastructure needs, like roads and flood plains, but to consider are these levies and taxes really necessary? That is, are they putting too much of a burden on simple working people. For example, do we really need that new football stadium or track field? To create such things requires raising bond issues which might not be food for the citizenry at large.
I would like my legacy to be that I was a good husband.
That my wife and I brought up our children the best that we could. That I did the right things in government so people can live freely and with the least amount of government interference and taxes. That I helped to bring down spending, brought down inflation, and did those things that would make people's lives better. I want to be on the side of energy independence because we were once there. We can do it again.
My first job was weeding plants in my neighbor's yards as a child. This went on for several years. Then when my father owned a Bonanza restaurant, I started washing dishes at the age of 12. I also cleaned the restrooms and carpeting. I then advanced into meat cutting. These jobs lasted up until I was about 18 when I went to college. When I came home on breaks, I would jump back in at my father's restaurant where needed. After about my second year in college I went to work for a 7-11 type convenience store.
Amazing Victory. I mentioned it earlier. It chronicles the Battle of Midway from both the US and Japanese sides. The Japanese did not have radar so they had to depend on search planes. The search plane that would have spotted our forces took off a half hour late. As a result, the Japanese did not realize we were nearby so they operated as if everything was going their way. When our navy was finally spotted, the Japanese were caught having to change bombs which allowed our dive bombers to drop our bombs on them first. They lost 3 aircrafts carriers in the space of 6 minutes. Later, they lost their fourth aircraft carrier. So, in the space of 6 minutes, the battle became a victory for the United States which the Japanese were unable to recover from. To say we were blessed by God in that battle is an understatement. Had it not turned out that way, life as we know it today might be totally different.
Most Precious Blook of Jesus Christ
Watching my father deal with heart disease. He passed away about 20 years ago and to see him in and out of hospitals and not being to do anything but pray for him and with him.
The politicians in the House come from all parts of the US which means they bring their likes and dislikes and their cultural difference. It's a true melting pot of the US.
While it may be beneficial, people who've been in politics before may be stuck in their ways. That's why I'm running as an Independent. I'm not stuck to either party and I'm sure that will be instrumental for my being able to bring different perspectives to an issue.
Food. Billionaires like Bill Gates and the Chinese are buying up the farmland. And when they've bought it up, what are they going to do with it. Stick it to us at the supermarkets.
Gasoline. We were once energy independent. Gas prices were low. It's like getting a pay raise. And when we have low energy prices, families can afford other things or save for a rainy day. EV cars are over-rated. They cost too much for the average worker. We're stuck to our used car because new cars are just too expensive. So it's a feel-good item to own an electric car. What they don't share with us is all the pollution that China is creating right now to create all those lithium batteries. The pollution is spilling out into the environment which is finding it's way into the seas which will end up in our country's rivers and streams. It's also said that to create the energy for these cars will cause a lot pollution because the energy suppliers will have to burn coal.
I've heard that you're just getting your feet wet in just two years. Then if you're re-elected you should know what's up and be able to be more of an element of change.
Politicians have been speaking about term limits for decades and it hasn't happened. Whenever someone is asked, "Are you for term limits?" They usually say yes, but when asked about their particular senator or congressman, they'll say but they don't want it to apply to their senator or congressman because they like him or her. So it's nice to talk about term limits but no one is really for it. The only term limit we have on the books is for the president and that's only because FDR was incapacitated and his wife and chief of staff were running the country. When that got out that FDR's wife was running the show did the Republicans and Democrats get together and do something like pass an Amendment to the US Constitution. So what do we have right now? We've got Barak Obama and Hillary as permanent guests to the White House and running the show because Biden sure isn't running things. And yet it's the same thing as FDR, it's just Jill is running things for Joe. But we as Americans haven't been paying attention to our history lessons in school. That's why you need me, Chris Royal, in Congress. Thanks.
John Danforth - Senator - (Republican - Missouri) he was able to practice his faith even though heavily involved in politics. Check him out. Great Biography.
While out on the campaign trail, I met a man who went to Matamoros, Mexico, to get his daughter. She is a teenage. Apparently, the daughter was not happy living with her mother so she told her parents that he wanted to be with her dad. Well, when they were crossing the border, this father had to clear it at the border and it took some time. Apparently, though with the current border policy, while this father and daughter were having to produce lots of documents to cross, the illegals were not having those problems. So the question is what are we doing at the border? And yet we have laws to restrict illegals but it's not happening. If elected, I vote to execute the laws on the books with respect to illegal border crossings.
Knock, knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana who? Knock, knock. Who's there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you glad I didn't say banana?
Given a study of Ronald Reagan (he was first a Democrat and then a Republican) I would say compromise is necessary and desirable. Depending on one's point of view, the needle could go from necessary to desirable and back. It just depends.
We're up to 34 Trillion dollars in debt. We can't even keep up with the interest owed on the debt. Even the IMF has warned the current White House that they need to try and control the spending otherwise were in for dark water ahead. What does that mean? It means we've got to get a lid on spending. So the role that this would have on my priorities would be to keep abreast of what spending bills are coming up for a vote and vote them down unless it was truly necessary. The people in Congress have got to start acting like responsible individuals and I'll remind them of that.
If there is an issue that needs to be investigated, then use it. If a law has been broken, then appoint a special investigator. But the IRS and FBI should not be weaponized to prey on the good, hard working people of this country as they did under Barak Obama - I'm referring to the IRS being sent to harass the Tea Party groups. Or the current DOJ which investigated parents who are concerned with what their children are being taught in the schools. Or the labeling of people of the Catholic faith as extremists. I would fight such behavior by our governmental agencies.
Budget, Education and Workforce, Energy and Commerce, Small Business, Foreign Relations, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, House Permanent Select Committe on Intelligence, Congressional-Executive Commission on China
We know that this isn't happening. Politicians transparent? What just happened with Congress voting to send weapons to Israel but then the shipments are stopped thanks to our president? Why were they stopped? Who stopped them? The president said the US support of Israel is "ironclad" and then this happen? He's only trying to speak out of both sides of his mouth for the up coming presidential election. What about the $5.2 trillion "Anti-inflationary Act" Where did all that money go to? I want to see Congressional hearings and find out where all the money went. Then let's get that money back and put it back in the US Treasury. Let's bring down inflation the real way, namely, STOP spending money that's not producing anything and let the hard workers in the US economy produce goods and services and bring down inflation the correct way. When the government says they are going to bring down inflation by passing some law, hold on to your wallets. By stopping government spending we will force government officials and agencies out in the open to explain what they are truly doing. Right now we're just getting double-speak.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Chris Royal did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Chris Royal did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Chris Royal campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2022U.S. House Texas District 34Lost general$0 N/A**
2020U.S. House Texas District 34Lost general$0 N/A**
Grand total$0 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 14, 2024


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