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Who is Lance Gooden? GOP Rep 'accidentally' backed George Floyd Act, Internet says another 'idiot from Texas'

'That's a first. Apologizing for wanting to save lives. Pro-life and all. Pretty desperate to prove you really aren't,' said a user

Conservative Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas was shocking the only House Republican to have voted in favour of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act on Wednesday, March 3. But turns out it was an 'accidental mistake', as he quickly rectified himself on Twitter, explaining he cast the wrong ballot. Since then Gooden has rectified his apparent mistake and cast a vote against the act, as says a follow-up tweet after the initial one was since deleted.

“I accidentally pressed the wrong voting button and realized it too late. I have changed the official record to reflect my opposition to the partisan George Floyd Policing Act,” Gooden aid in a since-deleted tweet. Following it up with another tweet that is still intact on the platform, Gooden showed the changed document reflecting his rectified vote, writing: "I have arguably the most conservative/America First voting record in Congress! Of course, I wouldn’t support the radical left’s, Anti-Police Act. I have changed the official record to reflect my opposition!"

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Who is Lance Gooden?

The 38-year-old Gooden serves as a US Representative for Texas's 5th congressional district that includes much of eastern Dallas, along with a swath of exurban and rural territory in the zone. Gooden had won the general election held on November 6, 2018, after previous serving in the Texas House of Representatives for District 4 that pans over the Henderson and Kaufman counties. After serving two terms in the state house from 2011 to 2015, he had lost his re-election bid in the 2014 Republican primary election. However, he returned to office for his third nonconsecutive term in the legislature, in 2016.

Gooden grew up as a Terrell native in Kaufman County, which is an eastern suburb of Dallas. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, with a Bachelor of Arts in government in 2001 and a BBA in finance in 2004. On October 1, 2016, Gooden married Alexa Calligas, and together they share two children. The Rep is a member of the Rockwall and Brin Church of Christ congregation in Terrell, Texas, which he also grew up attending.

What is the George Floyd bill?

Floyd, a 49-year-old unarmed Black man, was killed by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, thus giving rise to the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, which ultimately led to the bill. According to the National Public Radio, the act is "a police reform bill that would ban chokeholds and eliminate qualified immunity for law enforcement."

On March 3, 2021, Gooden made headlines as the only Republican in the House to have voted in favor of the George Floyd bill against police brutality. The measure reportedly passed the house with a 220-212 on Wednesday night, after initially being scheduled for Thursday but eventually pulled up out of concerns over a repeat of the US Capitol Rights on January 6.

The two Democrats who voted against the bill were Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Ron Kind (D-Wis.). Following this vote, the bill is expected to face a steep battle in the 50-50 senate. Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) is still optimistic about the discussion with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who happens to be the chamber’s only Black Republican, having authored his own police reform bill.

According to Beatty, attitudes toward policing are “different than the last time, where we are in the country," reports The Hill. "I think it has given people more feeling of: this could be the right thing to do at the right time," she added.

'Look how close you came to not being racist'

Among the many, varied responses against Gooden's apparent change of votes was massive outrage against his alleged 'racist' sentiments. Quipping about him 'accidentally' casting the wrong ballot, a Twitter user posted "Dude. Look how close you came to not being racist." Another chimed in saying "I’ve never seen anyone so anxious to prove they really are racist," under the tweet of Gooden citing proof for having changed his vote since the mistake. Another also remarked: "That's a first. Apologizing for wanting to save lives. Pro-life and all. Pretty desperate to prove you really aren't."

One user was really not holding back, when they retweeted a news outlet sharing Gooden's changed vote, adding: "What racist sh*tbags." Others believed: "Accountability is not anti-police. But those like Republican Congressman @Lancegooden who do not believe that Blacks and other minorities deserve justice often conflate the two..." One user said, "Honestly how many idiots can the state of Texas hold? Oh I forgot it’s a Huge state"