Lance Gooden

Lance Gooden
Official portrait, 2019
Lance Gooden
Born	Lance Carter Gooden 1 12, 1982
Birthplace	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician
Known for	U.S. Representative for Texas's 5th congressional district
Education	University of Texas at Austin (BA, BBA)
Children	2
Website	[[gooden.house.gov gooden.house.gov] Official site]

Lance Carter Gooden (born December 1, 1982) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 5th congressional district since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Gooden represents a district that encompasses parts of eastern Dallas along with a large expanse of exurban and rural territory to the city's east. Before entering Congress, Gooden served in the Texas House of Representatives representing the 4th district, which included Henderson County and Kaufman County, across two non-consecutive stints from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2017 to 2019. He succeeded longtime congressman Jeb Hensarling, who chose not to seek reelection in 2018. In Congress, Gooden has focused on immigration enforcement, financial regulation, and legislation affecting his Texas constituents, establishing himself as an active legislator on both partisan and bipartisan initiatives.

Early Life

Lance Carter Gooden was born on December 1, 1982, in Nashville, Tennessee. He was raised in Texas and developed an interest in politics and public service at an early age. Gooden's upbringing in Texas shaped his political identity, and he would go on to build his career in the state's political landscape.

Details of Gooden's family background and childhood in Tennessee before relocating to Texas remain limited in publicly available records. His political career began in earnest in Texas, where he established roots in the eastern part of the state that he would eventually represent at both the state and federal levels.

Education

Gooden attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). His dual-degree education at one of Texas's flagship public universities provided him with a foundation in both the liberal arts and business, backgrounds that would later inform his legislative work on economic and regulatory issues in both the Texas House of Representatives and the U.S. Congress.

Career

Texas House of Representatives (2011–2015)

Gooden's political career began with his successful campaign for the Texas House of Representatives in 2010, when he ran for the 4th district seat representing Henderson County and Kaufman County. In that race, Gooden defeated incumbent state representative Betty Brown to win the Republican primary, a significant upset in the district. The race had been closely watched, with the Dallas Morning News identifying it as one of several "tough fights for Texas House" seats shaping up during the 2010 election cycle.

Gooden took office on January 11, 2011, succeeding Brown as the representative for the 4th district. He served two terms in the Texas House during this initial period, working on issues relevant to his rural and exurban constituents in East Texas.

However, Gooden's first tenure in the state legislature came to an end when he lost his reelection bid in the 2014 Republican primary election. Stuart Spitzer, a physician and political newcomer, defeated Gooden for the Republican nomination. Gooden's term ended on January 13, 2015, and Spitzer assumed the seat.

Return to the Texas House (2017–2019)

After a brief period out of office, Gooden mounted a political comeback in 2016, challenging Spitzer in the Republican primary for the same 4th district seat. Gooden prevailed in the 2016 primary, reclaiming the Republican nomination. He returned to the Texas House of Representatives on January 10, 2017, beginning a non-consecutive third term as state representative for the 4th district.

Gooden's second stint in the Texas House was relatively brief, as he used it as a springboard for a run for the U.S. Congress. When U.S. Representative Jeb Hensarling, who had represented Texas's 5th congressional district since 2003, announced he would not seek reelection in 2018, Gooden entered the race for the open seat. His successor in the Texas House was Keith Bell, who took over representation of the 4th district when Gooden departed for Congress.

U.S. House of Representatives (2019–present)

2018 Election

Gooden ran for the Republican nomination for Texas's 5th congressional district in 2018, entering a competitive primary field for the open seat vacated by Hensarling. The 5th district, which includes parts of eastern Dallas as well as significant exurban and rural areas to the east of the city, leaned heavily Republican. Gooden won the Republican primary and went on to win the general election in November 2018, securing his place in the 116th United States Congress. He took office on January 3, 2019, succeeding Hensarling.

Legislative Priorities and Activities

In Congress, Gooden has been an active legislator, introducing and co-sponsoring bills across a range of policy areas. His legislative agenda has included a focus on immigration enforcement, financial regulation, tax policy, and technology innovation.

Immigration Enforcement

Immigration has been one of Gooden's signature issues in Congress. In 2025, he introduced the End Sanctuary Cities Act, legislation designed to penalize local officials who obstruct federal immigration enforcement efforts. The bill would impose consequences on so-called "sanctuary cities" — municipalities that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.

WFAA, a Dallas-Fort Worth television station, reported that Gooden introduced the bill from Sunnyvale, Texas, within his congressional district. The legislation reflected Gooden's longstanding position in favor of stricter immigration enforcement at the federal level.

Additionally, Gooden worked alongside Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-WI) to reintroduce the Migrant Child Safety Act, legislation aimed at improving safeguards for migrant children. The bipartisan framing of this particular bill demonstrated Gooden's willingness to work on immigration-related issues that extend beyond enforcement to include humanitarian considerations regarding children in the immigration system.

Financial Regulation and Credit Card Competition

Gooden has also been involved in efforts to reform credit card processing fees. In 2025, he reintroduced the Credit Card Competition Act, legislation aimed at addressing what proponents describe as high swipe fees imposed by Visa and Mastercard on merchants. The bill was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and received support from merchant groups. The Merchants Payments Coalition praised the reintroduction of the bipartisan bill, which had both House and Senate versions.

The Credit Card Competition Act represented one of Gooden's more notable bipartisan efforts, as it attracted support from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, as well as from a broad coalition of retail and merchant organizations who argued that reduced swipe fees would benefit consumers and small businesses.

Tax Policy for Public-Sector Retirees

Gooden introduced legislation to exempt retroactive Social Security payments for public-sector retirees from federal taxation. The bill was directed at addressing a specific issue affecting retired public-sector employees who received restored Social Security benefits and faced potential tax burdens on lump-sum retroactive payments. This legislation reflected Gooden's attention to constituent-focused tax issues, particularly those affecting retired teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public employees in Texas and across the country.

Technology and Innovation

In June 2025, Gooden partnered with Representative Deborah Ross (D-NC) to introduce the bipartisan and bicameral Leadership in Critical and Emerging Technologies Act. The legislation was aimed at accelerating American innovation in critical technology sectors. This cross-party initiative highlighted Gooden's engagement with technology policy, an area of growing significance in congressional deliberations related to national competitiveness and security.

Committee Work and Congressional Service

Gooden has served in Congress continuously since January 3, 2019, representing the 5th district of Texas through multiple congressional sessions, including the 116th, 117th, 118th, and 119th Congresses. His official congressional office maintains a website at gooden.house.gov through which he communicates legislative updates and constituent services information to the residents of the 5th district.

Personal Life

Gooden has two children. He is a person of Christian faith; a profile published by the Christian Chronicle discussed how faith intersected with his political career and those of fellow congressmen who shared similar beliefs.

Gooden resides in the area encompassed by Texas's 5th congressional district, maintaining ties to the communities of eastern Dallas and the surrounding exurban and rural areas he represents.

In 2016, a Shreveport Times column referenced Gooden in connection with broadcaster Tim Brando's family, though the specific nature of the connection pertained to personal rather than political matters.

Recognition

Gooden's legislative work has drawn attention from various industry groups and advocacy organizations. The Merchants Payments Coalition publicly recognized his role in reintroducing the Credit Card Competition Act, describing the legislation as a significant step toward reforming the credit card processing system in the United States.

His immigration-related legislation, including the End Sanctuary Cities Act, has received coverage from regional media outlets including WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth, reflecting the relevance of immigration policy to his district and to Texas politics more broadly.

As a congressman who has won election to multiple consecutive terms representing Texas's 5th district, Gooden has maintained a consistent presence in Texas Republican politics. His ability to win election to the U.S. House after having both won and lost races at the state level — including his defeat in the 2014 primary and subsequent comeback in 2016 — demonstrated political resilience in a competitive intra-party landscape.

The Texas Tribune maintains a directory profile for Gooden, documenting his political career and legislative record as part of its broader coverage of Texas elected officials.

Electoral History

Gooden's electoral record includes both victories and a notable defeat. He first won elected office in 2010, defeating incumbent state representative Betty Brown in the Republican primary for the Texas House 4th district. He was reelected in 2012 but lost the 2014 Republican primary to Stuart Spitzer. In 2016, Gooden defeated Spitzer in the primary to reclaim the seat.

In 2018, Gooden won the Republican nomination and general election for Texas's 5th congressional district, replacing the retiring Jeb Hensarling. Federal Election Commission records document his candidacy and campaign finance activity for the congressional seat. He has since been reelected to the seat in subsequent election cycles, continuing to serve in Congress as of 2025.