Larry Gonzales
Larry Gonzales is a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 52. He was first elected to the chamber in 2010, and he served until June 7, 2018, when he resigned from office.[1]
Biography
Gonzales earned a bachelor of arts in government from the University of Texas-Austin in 1993. Gonzales earned his master's degree in public administration at Texas State University as part of the class of 2011.[2]
When he served in the state House, Gonzales was the owner of a graphic design and communications company.[2] He worked as the assistant vice chancellor for governmental relations for the Texas State University System.[2]
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Government Transparency & Operation |
| • Local & Consent Calendars |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Gonzales served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Government Transparency & Operation |
| • Local & Consent Calendars |
| • Redistricting |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Gonzales served on the following committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Local & Consent Calendars |
| • Redistricting |
| • Technology |
2011-2012
Gonzales served on the following Texas House of Representatives committees:
| Texas committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Border & Intergovernmental Affairs |
| • County Affairs |
Campaign themes
2014
Gonzales' website highlighted the following campaign themes:[3]
Create jobs
- Excerpt: "Larry will work hard to ensure government retains a limited role, fostering this environment where the natural, entrepreneurial spirit of Texans can grow and thrive."
Invest in education
- Excerpt: "Larry is dedicated to providing a world-class education to our K-12 children, but also to finding ways to expand the opportunity for a college education to as many Texans as possible."
Control spending
- Excerpt: "We must make tough choices and find ways to minimize the tax burden on Texans. That means keeping our needs separate from our wants — funding those critical things which are necessary and proper for the government — while encouraging innovative ways to provide non-essential services. In the process, Texas can be a beacon of responsible government that the entire country can follow."
Private property rights
- Excerpt: "Larry will protect private property rights, trusting and believing in those who care for the land, and will stand against a government that tries to trample this constitutionally given right by taking improperly what belongs to the private citizen."
State sovereignty
- Excerpt: "Like never before, an assault on our way of life in Texas is in full force, with a federal government which thinks they can run Texas better than Texans. Texas, and more specifically Central Texas, has largely been insulated from the economic problems which are crippling the rest of our nation. This is not by accident! We have had a conservative, pro-business mindset that has proven to be successful in creating jobs and opportunities for families to succeed."
2012
Gonzales' website highlighted the following campaign themes:[2]
Create jobs
- Opposes increased government regulation.
Invest in education
- Supports increased investment in k-12 education, as well as all levels of higher education as well as career and technical training.
Control spending
- Supports limited government spending.
Private property rights
- Opposes current levels of property taxes.
- Believes strong private property rights are best solution to environmental concerns.
State sovereignty
- Opposes increasing federal interference in Texas.
Values
- Pro-life.
- Opposes partial-birth abortion.
- Supports state funding for the Alternatives to Abortion fun.
- Opposes gay marriage.
- Opposes embryonic stem cell research, supporting research using adult stem cells in is place.
- Opposes human cloning.
2nd Amendment rights
- Supports strong gun rights.
Voter ID
- Supports photo ID legislation.
- Supports free IDs for those who cannot afford them.
Immigration and border security
- Supports strong, well-equipped border defense.
Transportation
- Opposes transportation tax fund diversions.
Government reform/accountability
- Supports limiting government duties to, "a few essential things," such as public and higher education, public safety and highways.
- Supports increased government transparency.
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2016
Elections for the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 14, 2015.[4]
Incumbent Larry Gonzales defeated Henry Knetsar in the Texas House of Representatives District 52 general election.[5]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 52 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Larry Gonzales Incumbent |
75.51% | 40,329 | |
| Libertarian | Henry Knetsar | 24.49% | 13,082 | |
| Total Votes | 53,411 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Larry Gonzales ran unopposed in the Texas House of Representatives District 52 Republican Primary.[6][7]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 52 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Larry Gonzales Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for all 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 4, 2014. Those candidates who did not receive 50 percent or more of the vote in their party primary on March 4 faced an additional May 27 primary runoff. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was December 9, 2013. Incumbent Larry Gonzales was unopposed in the Republican primary. Chris Osborn was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Gonzales defeated Osborn and Irene Johnson (L) in the general election. Lillian Martinez Simmons (L) was removed from the ballot before the election.[8][9][10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Larry Gonzales Incumbent |
56.4% | 18,235 | |
| Democratic | Chris Osborn | 38.5% | 12,452 | |
| Libertarian | Irene Johnson | 5.1% | 1,633 | |
| Total Votes | 32,320 | |||
2012
Gonzales won re-election in the 2012 election for Texas House of Representatives, District 52. Gonzales ran unopposed in the May 29 primary election and defeated Lillian Martinez Simmons (L) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Larry Gonzales Incumbent |
70.3% | 31,991 | |
| Libertarian | Lillian Martinez Simmons | 29.7% | 13,526 | |
| Total Votes | 45,517 | |||
2010
Gonzales won election to the Texas House of Representatives, District 52. He defeated John Gordon in the April 13 Republican primary runoff and then defeated incumbent Democratic candidate Diana Maldonado and Charles McCoy (L) in the November 2 general election.[12]
| Texas House of Representatives, District 52 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Larry Gonzales (R)
|
25,430 | 57.44% | ||
| Diana Maldonado (D) | 16,823 | 38% | ||
| Charles McCoy (L) | 2,012 | 4.54% | ||
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.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Texas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Texas State Legislature was in its 85th legislative session from January 10 through May 29. A special session was held from July 18 to August 15.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Texas State Legislature was in its 84th legislative session from January 13 through June 1.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Texas State Legislature was in its 83rd legislative session from January 8 through May 27. Thirty minutes after the regular session ended, Governor Rick Perry called legislators back for a special session starting that evening.[13] Two additional called sessions were held from July 1 through July 30 and July 30 through August 5.[14]
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Texas State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the Texas State Legislature was in its 82nd legislative session from January 11 through May 30. A special session was called for May 31 through June 29.[14]
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Gonzales and his wife, Marie, have two children. They lived in Round Rock when he served in the state House.
Community service and involvement
Gonzales was a member of the Government Affairs Committee for the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce. He was also a certified mediator.[2]
See also
- Texas State Legislature
- Texas House of Representatives
- Texas House of Representatives Committees
- Texas Joint Committees
- Texas state legislative districts
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Official Campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Official Facebook Page
- Candidate Twitter Page
- Larry Gonzales YouTube Channel
- Texas House GOP YouTube Channel
- Official Campaign Contributions
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Community Impact Newspaper, Vote '10 Q&A
- Texas Tribune Profile
Footnotes
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Rep. Larry Gonzales resigns from Texas House," June 6, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Larry Gonzales, "Campaign site," accessed May 24, 2014
- ↑ larrygonzales.com, "Issues," accessed February 21, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History results," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current ELECTION HISTORY," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ The Libertarian Party of Texas, "2014 Texas Representative Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ Green Party of Texas, "Greens Release Candidate List," accessed July 30, 2014
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "The 2014 Election Brackets," accessed December 12, 2013
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History," accessed February 17, 2014
- ↑ kten.com, "Texas Lawmakers To Tackle Redistricting In Special Session," May 29, 2013
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Legislative reference Library of Texas, "Texas Legislative Sessions and Years," accessed June 13, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Diana Maldonado (D) |
Texas House of Representatives District 52 2011-2018 |
Succeeded by James Talarico (D) |
