Louie Gohmert
| Louie Gohmert | |
U.S. Representative for Texas' 1st congressional district
| |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Max Sandlin |
|---|---|
Judge of the Texas 7th Judicial District Court for Smith County
| |
| In office 1993–2002 | |
| Born | August 18, 1953 Pittsburg, Camp County Texas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Kathy Gohmert |
| Children | Three children |
| Residence | Tyler, Smith County, Texas |
| Alma mater | Texas A&M University Baylor University Law School |
| Occupation | Lawyer Judge Politician United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps (1978-1982) |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
Louis Buller Gohmert, Jr., known as Louie Gohmert (born August 18, 1953), has served since January 2005 as the U.S. Representative for Texas' 1st congressional district. A former state court district judge for Smith County (1993-2002), the Republican Gohmert is among the most conservative members of Congress.
On January 6, 2015, Gohmert failed in his bid to unseat then U.S. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, a favorite of establishment Republicans.
An active Southern Baptist, he resides in the county seat of Tyler, Texas.
In the March 6, 2018, Republican primary, Gohmert defeated two rivals with 88.3 percent of the ballots cast. In the November 6 general election, he faces for the fourth time African-American Democrat Shirley J. McKellar.
On March 24, 2018, a columnist for The San Antonio Express-News called Gohmert "infamous for kooky conspiracy theories, including his claim in 2010 that pregnant undocumented women were crossing the border to give birth to 'terror babies' with U.S. citizenship."[1] The comment came in reference to the Bexar County judge's race between incumbent Democrat Nelson Wolff and Republican challenger Tom Rickhoff. The column notes that Rickhoff, like Gohmert, often uses flow charts to bolster his arguments. Richoff, however, made clear that he is no admirer of Gohmert: "I don't ever want to hear his name."[1]
