Republican congressman who voted to impeach Trump will not run for re-election

Gonzalez, a former American football player in the NFL New York times The first Republican – but perhaps not the last – to leave the party after the vote to impeach Trump. After storming the Capitol on January 6, the 36-year-old politician and nine other party members turned against Trump, prompting angry reactions from the former president. Also from the conservative wing of the Republicans, heavy pressure was put on “opponents” not to vote in favor of Trump’s impeachment measures.

Trump announced that he would campaign against all Republicans who opposed his impeachment during the vote. The Republican Party remains very loyal to the former president.

“From the moment I entered politics, I have always said that I will continue to do this work as long as my family is voted for,” Gonzalez wrote in a statement Thursday. “While my desire to build a family life is at the heart of this decision, it is also true that the current state of our politics, especially the toxic dynamics within our party, is a major reason for my decision.”

Gonzalez will face Max Miller in the Ohio primary in 2022. Trump supports Miller, his former aide in the White House and during his campaign, as part of his revenge against the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him. Gonzalez is the first Hispanic politician in Congress from Ohio.

In an interview with New York times Gonzalez said it seemed at first that the party might break with the former president, but in the end the opposite happened. “That’s the direction we’re going to go in the next two years, maybe four,” Gonzalez said. This will put Trump at the center of the fundraising and policymaking process. It’s not something I’m going to be a part of.”

Gonzalez announced in the interview that he would now try to prevent Trump from being reelected president. “I will devote most of my political energies to this purpose.”