# Anthony Gonzalez Republican U.S. Representative for northeast Ohio's 16th district (2019–2023). Born September 18, 1984, in Elyria, Ohio, he was a former NFL wide receiver: the Indianapolis Colts drafted him in the first round (32nd overall) in 2007, and he played for them through 2011. ## The second impeachment Gonzalez voted against the first impeachment in December 2019, saying the evidence was insufficient. He voted for the second on January 13, 2021, one of the ten Republicans to do so (see [[Trump Second Impeachment]]). On May 19, 2021, he also voted for the bipartisan January 6 commission that [[John Katko]] had negotiated. ## First to leave Trump endorsed his former White House aide [[Max Miller]] to challenge Gonzalez. On **September 16, 2021**, Gonzalez announced he would not seek re-election. He cited the "toxic dynamics" inside the Republican Party and the threats his family had received since the vote, which had led them to take added security measures. He was the first of the ten to announce his exit. Ohio lost a seat in the 2020 reapportionment, his district was eliminated, and Miller won a new seat in 2022. ## KB significance Gonzalez never lost an election. He left before one could be held, under threat. His case is the reminder that the purge on [[Trump Impeachments Timeline]] worked through intimidation as well as through primaries, and that "retired" in the defector tally does not mean "left voluntarily." ## Related - [[Trump Second Impeachment]] - [[Trump Impeachments Timeline]] - [[Max Miller]] - [[John Katko]]