Mark Gonzalez for Senate

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“The only way things are ever going to get better is if the people in positions of authority make sure that the deck is not stacked against the average Texan. As an elected official, I have a responsibility to make sure that the system is fair for everyone." - Mark

<h4>Mark Gonzalez, twice elected the District Attorney in Corpus Christi, is running for US Senate because Texans deserve a leader as tough as they are.&nbsp;&nbsp;</h4>Mark grew up in Agua Dulce, Texas, population 700.&nbsp; He was active at his small high school, where he played most sports, but loved baseball.&nbsp; When his parents divorced, Mark and his brother Eric lived with his dad in Agua Dulce, in a corner rental house that sometimes lacked electricity and hot water.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://run.imgix.net/05be5c75-5066-41f8-8f0f-d1efe5af8646/282ca0cf-1b7a-43a6-ba7a-0ea77c6b54e9/282ca0cf-1b7a-43a6-ba7a-0ea77c6b54e9.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=20%2C17%2C669%2C683&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="Mark and his mom." align="right" alignwidth="32" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">Mark and his mom.After high school, Mark moved in with his mom in Corpus Christi.&nbsp; It was during this time he experienced a fork in the road.At 19, Mark was arrested for a DWI.&nbsp; He had no clue he needed a lawyer for court. Instead, he took his mom, whose motherly advice was simple: take responsibility and face the consequences. The consequence was a year of probation.&nbsp;&nbsp;A US Navy Airman from the local base came before the Judge later, same circumstances as Mark’s case, except he had a lawyer. His case was dismissed by the Judge. At that moment, Mark realized that his life had a new path, one that would help the community.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/05be5c75-5066-41f8-8f0f-d1efe5af8646/f134323c-31ad-426b-ad9b-1b7a1ccced91/f134323c-31ad-426b-ad9b-1b7a1ccced91.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C5609%2C3739&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">Mark worked hard for a second chance, and set high sights on helping others get their shot at one, too. After receiving his law degree from&nbsp; St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Mark found his way back home to Nueces County, where he’s been a part of the community and understands what working families go through to make ends meet.&nbsp;Now, 43-years-old, Gonzalez is a tattooed Tejano lawyer whose empathy toward the downtrodden and first-generation work ethic lifted him into office in 2016, forcing national commentators to dub him, “The most unlikely DA in America.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://run.imgix.net/05be5c75-5066-41f8-8f0f-d1efe5af8646/6df79c66-838d-4665-b3ed-dc105643c875/6df79c66-838d-4665-b3ed-dc105643c875.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1920%2C1080&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="" align="right" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">As DA, Mark was responsible for meting out justice fairly for every felony committed in Nueces County, Texas – up to and including capital murder.&nbsp;The responsibility to represent the State, and stand-up for victims of violent crime, gave him a sense of duty to his community.&nbsp; At the age of 17, Mark met his future wife, Janna, in high school.&nbsp; It took a little time, but life brought them together again. Now married, they have a happy blended family, including a separate house for his dad in the back.&nbsp;<img src="https://run.imgix.net/05be5c75-5066-41f8-8f0f-d1efe5af8646/e5d2c16e-eea1-4c57-9eca-30b7718c07ba/e5d2c16e-eea1-4c57-9eca-30b7718c07ba.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C5260%2C3507&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="Mark with his two youngest daughters." align="center" alignwidth="42" variant="base">Mark with his two youngest daughters.

Mark Gonzalez knows what it takes to win tough elections. He’s done it twice before.

Dozens of local organizations and leaders are standing together!

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Mark and his team would love to hear from you.&nbsp;&nbsp;Send us a message using the form or send us an email at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="info@markagonzalez.com">info@markagonzalez.com</a>.For media inquiries, please contact: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:Press@MarkAGonzalez.com">Press@MarkAGonzalez.com</a>

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Mark Gonzalez knows how to build one.We need leaders with the backbone to stand up to bullies and to protect the rule of law.&nbsp; Mark understands that people want the truth – that’s why he won twice in a red Texas county, winning&nbsp;despite the county being carried by Trump and Greg Abbott.&nbsp;After reforming Nueces County’s criminal justice system in his eight years as District Attorney, Mark is now taking on a different challenge.&nbsp;&nbsp;He is running for the U.S. Senate, because it’s time Texas sends a leader to Washington that represents us.&nbsp;&nbsp;This campaign is about the future of Texas, and your support is key to this movement.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Latest Campaign Developments

Mark A. Gonzalez, a progressive district attorney in Nueces County, Texas, took an unusual tack when he came under fire from conservatives who didn’t like how he was doing his job.He resigned — to run for the United States Senate.

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NYT: Progressive District Attorney Enters Race to Unseat Ted Cruz

The list of Democrats wanting to run against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz next year is growing.Nueces County District Attorney Mark A. Gonzalez resigned his position Tuesday and announced he’s filing to run in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate.“Texans are looking for a leader as tough as they are. Right now, that isn’t Ted Cruz,” Gonzalez said. “I’m in this race because sitting on the sidelines is not an option.”

Houston Chronicle: 'Biker lawyer covered in tattoos' joins the race against Ted Cruz

Corpus Christi, Texas – Nueces County District Attorney Mark A. Gonzalez today announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat from Texas. His resignation letter addressed to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is attached and his U.S. Senate announcement video can be found <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_JeAUNybBk">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Texans are looking for a leader as tough as they are.&nbsp; Right now, that isn’t Ted Cruz,” Mark said. “I’m in this race because sitting on the sidelines is not an option.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mark, 43, enters the race after being elected twice as Nueces County District Attorney, a county&nbsp; Abbott carried in 2018 by 14 points.&nbsp; Dubbed the “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/05/06/most-unlikely-district-attorney-in-america-mark-gonzalez-218322/">Most Unlikely D.A. in America</a>” after his 2016 election victory, Mark shaped the D.A.'s Office to further a reform agenda that prioritized common sense approaches to the criminal legal system.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Thank you to the amazing prosecutors, investigators, paralegals, and professional staff at the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office,” Mark said. “It was an honor to be your colleague and I thank you for your service to our community. Please continue your mission to see that justice is done.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Mark grew up in Agua Dulce, Texas, a small town about 45 minutes from Corpus Christi. At the age of 19, Mark was arrested for a DWI. It did not occur to him to get an attorney, so his mom went to court with him and told him to take responsibility for his actions. Mark did, and got no mercy from the judge. In the same courtroom and with the same judge, Mark saw another person get their charge for a DWI dismissed because they had a lawyer advocate for them. Learning that there are alternatives for certain people facing the same situation was life changing.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“I dedicated my life to helping my community, wherever that was, after my encounter with the criminal legal system. It led me to law school at St. Mary’s and back home to Corpus Christi to be an attorney,” Mark said. “Now, my mission is to help the people of Texas thrive - all of us, and not just a select few.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Recently, far-right&nbsp; activists and outside agitators have tried to use the civil courts to remove Mark from office.&nbsp; The political stunt was an attempt to take away the voice of the people of Nueces County because they did not like the D.A.’s use of discretion.&nbsp;&nbsp;“The hyper-partisan efforts are meant to divide us and undermine our Democracy, and I won’t be part of any attempt to harm our state,”&nbsp; Mark said.&nbsp; “Bullies don’t scare me, what does is how we treat our neighbors and those who can afford hardship the least.&nbsp; I’ll be a Senator who prioritizes people, finding solutions with a focus on what’s best for Texans.”&nbsp;&nbsp;To learn more about Mark and his campaign for the U.S. Senate, visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://MarkAGonzalez.com">MarkAGonzalez.com</a>.&nbsp;

Nueces County District Attorney Mark A. Gonzalez today announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat from Texas. His resignation letter addressed to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is attached and his U.S. Senate announcement video can be found <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_JeAUNybBk">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Texans are looking for a leader as tough as they are.&nbsp; Right now, that isn’t Ted Cruz,” Mark said. “I’m in this race because sitting on the sidelines is not an option.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

D.A. Mark Gonzalez enters Texas U.S. Senate Race&nbsp;

September 5, 2023&nbsp;The Hon. Greg AbbottGovernor of Texas1100 Congress AvenueAustin, Texas 78711&nbsp;Dear Governor Abbott:I write to inform you that I will be resigning as the Nueces County District Attorney to seek election to the United States Senate.&nbsp;Growing up in a small Texas town like my beloved Agua Dulce — population 700 or so (counting a few stray cats and dogs) — teaches you a lot.&nbsp; Coming home from school and discovering we were once again without electricity or running water in our small rental house did not strike me as strange. For my family and our neighbors, it was just our life. We were poor in money but rich in love and community.&nbsp;&nbsp;These humble beginnings predestined me for a job in the oil fields just like my dad and countless other men of multiple generations in my community.&nbsp; It was not an uncommon trajectory, and assuredly is not one without its honor and necessity; however, my mother had other plans for me: college.&nbsp;As college students are wont to do, I went out one night, had too much to drink, and made the fateful decision to get behind the wheel. At age 19, I received a DWI, which changed my life inestimably. It was more than a mere fork in the road: it brought a moment of pure enlightenment to the courtroom.&nbsp; My mom came with me that day, not a lawyer.&nbsp; She told me to take responsibility and to own up to what I had done. At the time, without counsel or the means to get counsel, it made perfect sense.&nbsp;When I went before the judge, I told him I was guilty, and he did not grant me any mercy.&nbsp; A naval airman from the local base came before the judge after I did — in roughly the same circumstances as I was in — except he had a lawyer. In stark contrast to my case, however, his case was dismissed by the Judge.As I sat in that courtroom watching it unfold, it dawned on me that the wealthy and well-connected have a different criminal legal system applied to them and accusations against them than everyone else does. My ignorance of the system was detrimental to my life and has been to so many others just like me.&nbsp; That moment of clarity changed my life, and gave me a new purpose.&nbsp;I tell you this story — one that has influenced my life beyond measure and description — because the principle from this story is integral to how I conclude my tenure as the twice duly-elected District Attorney of Nueces County.&nbsp;Led by a brazen out-of-state effort, MAGA-aligned political radicals intended to end my term early, weaponizing our already overworked courts to remove me from office.&nbsp; It was going to be a test case; we know so, because those political radicals said so on TV.&nbsp;The civil removal trial set for December will never happen because I refuse to play this rigged Republican game, particularly considering the Republicans’ hypocrisy, as their presumptive presidential nominee is under indictment in four jurisdictions across this beautiful country and no less revered.&nbsp; They want to use me as a sacrificial lamb to send a foreboding message to other duly elected DAs in Texas who exercise their discretion, intending to chill their constitutional and statutory authority to dispense their job duties as they see fit.&nbsp; I will not be used that way, nor will I run from a fight.&nbsp; Quite the opposite, in fact.&nbsp;These hyper-partisan efforts have ignited an insuppressible fire in my bones — the very energy that pushed me through law school and helped me stand stalwart, fearlessly, for folks who needed a second chance, both as a criminal defense attorney and as the twice, duly-elected District Attorney.&nbsp; That same energy helped me prevail as a Democrat in a county that also went for that presumptive Republican presidential nominee.&nbsp;One of my guiding beliefs is that public service is about putting the community first, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to fight for the people of Texas. Right now, that means giving up a job that the fine people of Nueces County entrusted to me and working to earn the trust of voters across Texas to bring that same fight to the hallowed halls of the Capitol in Washington.A special thank you to the amazing and invaluable prosecutors, investigators, paralegals, and professional staff at the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office.&nbsp; It has been the professional honor of a lifetime to be your colleague, and I thank every one of you for your service to our community.&nbsp; Please continue your mission to see that justice is done.&nbsp; Follow the truth, the facts, and the law where they lead, forsaking politics or fear of political reprisal. I must also thank the people of Nueces County for believing in me and twice giving me the privilege to serve them as District Attorney.Above all, my amazing family deserves my gratitude and appreciation. Without their love and support, my election would not have been possible. Janna and our children will remain the center of my life as we boldly charge headstrong into this new and exciting opportunity to continue in service to the people.&nbsp;&nbsp;Adelante,Mark A. GonzalezNueces County District Attorney

Dear Governor Abbott:I write to inform you that I will be resigning as the Nueces County District Attorney to seek election to the United States Senate.&nbsp;Growing up in a small Texas town like my beloved Agua Dulce — population 700 or so (counting a few stray cats and dogs) — teaches you a lot.&nbsp; Coming home from school and discovering we were once again without electricity or running water in our small rental house did not strike me as strange. For my family and our neighbors, it was just our life

Resignation Letter to Gov. Abbott

A new state law makes it easier to oust DAs like Corpus Christi's Mark Gonzalez, who promised not to prosecute abortion cases

Rolling Stone: This Tattooed Biker DA Is Under Attack for Defending Abortion Rights in Texas

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended a second prosecutor. In Texas, activists are trying a new way to get rid of D.A.s they dislike.

With an Array of Tactics, Conservatives Seek to Oust Progressive Prosecutors

District Attorney Mark Gonzalez made headlines for believing in fairness, now one GOP group is attacking him for it.

Nueces County Extremist Group Is Imminent Threat To Democracy

Last month, Texas Republicans and far-right activists in Nueces County began putting together a power grab aimed at removing democratically elected county DA Mark Gonzalez from office.

Opinion: Texas GOP, far-right activists meddling in Nueces County affairs

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A trial date has been set in the civil suit seeking the removal of Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez.That date, selected during a pretrial hearing is Sept. 25, but may be impacted by pending motions.

Trial date set for civil case seeking removal of District Attorney Mark Gonzalez

The lawsuit, which was initially filed by the conservative nonprofit Citizens Defending Freedom (CDF) on behalf of a resident, Colby Wiltze, was taken up by County Attorney Jenny Dorsey (R-Nueces County) who will oversee the removal proceedings.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Texans Deserve a Senator as Tough
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Latest Campaign Developments

NYT: Progressive District Attorney Enters Race to Unseat Ted Cruz

Houston Chronicle: 'Biker lawyer covered in tattoos' joins the race against Ted Cruz

D.A. Mark Gonzalez enters Texas U.S. Senate Race

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It’s going to take a movement to beat Ted Cruz.

It’s going to take all of us to beat Ted Cruz.

news & pressLatest Campaign Developments

NYT: Progressive District Attorney Enters Race to Unseat Ted Cruz

Houston Chronicle: 'Biker lawyer covered in tattoos' joins the race against Ted Cruz

D.A. Mark Gonzalez enters Texas U.S. Senate Race

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Latest Campaign Developments

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