By JILL COLVIN and JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press
COLUMBUS – One of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol announced Thursday night he will not seek reelection in Ohio next year.
U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Akron), a former Ohio State and NFL player with a once-bright political future, cited his two young children for his decision and noted “the chaotic political environment that currently infects our country.” He is the first Latino to represent Ohio in Congress.
“While my desire to build a fuller family life is at the heart of my decision, it is also true that the current state of our politics, especially many of the toxic dynamics inside our own party, is a significant factor in my decisions,” Gonzalez said in his statement.
Gonzalez, 36, would have faced Max Miller in the 2022 primary. Trump has endorsed Miller, his former White House and campaign aide, as part of his bid to punish those who voted for his impeachment or blocked his efforts to overturn the results of the election. Trump rallied for Miller this summer.
In a statement, Miller’s campaign called Gonzalez’s announcement Thursday “good news for the voters of our district,” said Gonzalez had “dishonored the office by betraying his constituents” with his impeachment vote.
Gonzalez represents northeast Ohio’s 16th Congressional District, in the northeastern part of the state.
The Ohio Republican Party censured Gonzalez in May for voting in February to impeach Trump. Gonzalez has stood by his impeachment vote in the face of fierce pushback from his party’s conservative wing.
In an interview with the New York Times announcing his decision, Gonzalez called Trump “a cancer for the country” who represents a threat to democracy and said that Jan. 6 had been “a line-in-the-sand moment” for him.
A Sept. 18 rally aimed at recasting those charged with the attack as “political prisoners” has put law enforcement on edge and prompted stepped-up security measures at the Capitol.