(The Center Square) – Four new members of Texas’ congressional delegation were sworn into office on Jan. 3, which marked the beginning of the 119th Congress with Republicans in control of both the US House and Senate.
Three of the four new members represent north Texas districts; one represents the Houston area. Two are Republicans and two are Democrats.
In District 12, which encompasses parts of Tarrant and Parker counties, former state Rep. Craig Goldman was sworn into office. Elected in November, Goldman replaced former congresswoman Kay Granger, the longest serving member of the Texas delegation in Congress. Granger finished her political career at age 80. After serving as the first female mayor of Fort Worth, she was elected to Congress in 1996 as the first female Republican member of Congress from Texas.
Goldman served six terms in the Texas House and was among 60 House Republicans who voted to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott and many others, he was joined at his swearing in ceremony by his former boss, former U.S. Rep. Phil Gramm, R-Texas.
“As a fourth-generation Fort Worth native, I am committed to faithfully representing my community and fighting for its interests in the nation’s capital,” Goldman said after being sworn into office. “It is time for Washington to address border security, lower the cost of living, and strengthen our national defense. I look forward to working alongside my colleagues in the 119th Congress to address these issues and deliver meaningful results for my constituents.”
In District 26, which includes parts of Cooke, Denton, Tarrant and Wise counties, political neophyte Brandon Gill was sworn into office. Gill, the son-in-law of author Dinesh DeSouza who apologized for falsely accusing a man of ballot fraud in Georgia in a widely debunked film, “2000 Mules,” has no political experience. Prior to being elected, he worked as an investment banker and founded the D.C. Enquirer website. He succeeds Rep. Michael Burgess, who retired after serving more than 20 years in office.
“Democrats have spent the last four years attacking the foundations of our great nation and our American way of life. Voters resoundingly rejected them and gave President Trump and Republicans a clear mandate. It’s time to take our country back,” he said after being sworn into office. “I cannot wait to certify President Trump’s election, secure our southern border, deport Biden’s illegal aliens, unleash American energy, cut taxes and regulations, end the Left’s perverted woke agenda, and put America first!”
The election results were certified on Jan. 6.
In District 32, representing northeastern Dallas County and a small portion of Collin and Denton counties, Julie Johnson was sworn into office. She is the first openly gay member of the Texas congressional delegation and the first openly gay member of Congress from the South. She is the first woman to ever represent District 32.
She served in the Texas House from 2018 through 2024, when she ran to fill the seat of outgoing U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, who challenged U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and lost. Johnson won a 10-way primary election without a runoff and won her November election with 60% of the vote.
In District 18, which represents downtown Houston and some of its surrounding area, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was sworn into office. He was elected in November to succeed former Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died in July after serving the district for 30 years. Her daughter, Erica Lee Carter, won a special election to serve out the remaining months of her mother’s term in the 118th Congress. Turner was elected in November to succeed Lee in the 119th Congress.
