Gooden, Lance

Lance Gooden represents Texas's 5th congressional district, which encompasses parts of eastern Dallas along with exurban and rural areas to the east. First elected to Congress in 2018, Gooden brings prior legislative experience from his time in the Texas State House, where he represented the 4th district covering Henderson and Kaufman counties from 2011 to 2015. After losing his reelection bid in the 2014 Republican primary, he returned to the state legislature in 2016 before successfully transitioning to federal office.

In the House, Gooden serves on two major committees: Armed Services and the Judiciary Committee. Within Armed Services, he participates in subcommittees focused on tactical air and land forces, seapower and projection forces, and cyber and information technologies. On the Judiciary Committee, his subcommittee assignments cover courts and intellectual property matters, artificial intelligence and the internet, and administrative state and regulatory reform issues. These assignments reflect a legislative agenda centered on defense policy, technological innovation, and regulatory oversight.

Gooden has sponsored legislation addressing diverse policy areas, including measures related to obstruction of justice statutes, settlement agreement donations, tax benefits restoration, credit card competition, and foreign trade zones. His legislative work demonstrates engagement with both national security priorities and domestic economic and regulatory concerns.