Vicente Gonzalez attends campaign party the exact working day he failed to clearly show in-human being for critical votes, citing COVID

Vulnerable Democratic Texas Congressman Vicente Gonzalez skipped a quantity of votes in the Home of Reps this 7 days, citing the "ongoing community health crisis" of COVID-19 as his rationale to vote remotely even though he attended a range of activities in his property state as a substitute.

The embattled Democrat opted to vote by proxy, the system in which a member of Congress can have another member vote on legislation in their absence, deciding on Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., to vote in his stead.

"I proceed to be not able to bodily attend proceedings in the Dwelling Chamber thanks to the ongoing public health emergency and hereby grant the authority to caste my vote by proxy to the Honorable Lou Correa (California), who has agreed to serve as my proxy," Gonzalez's official proxy letter said.

Of the votes skipped by Gonzalez, the most significant-profile was the Friday passage of a largely Democrat-backed bill that averted a shutdown of the federal federal government, and was described by some as a very important piece of legislation.

DEMOCRATIC Prospect VICENTE GONZALEZ Claims MAYRA FLORES, SUPPORTERS ‘STOLE’ TEXAS Unique ELECTION

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, attends a Property Financial Solutions Committee listening to titled Financial Policy and the Condition of the Overall economy that includes testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell in Rayburn Constructing on February 27, 2018. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Connect with/ Getty Images)

G3 Box News Digital reached out to Gonzalez's office for comment on why he chose to be in Texas for a certain campaign function on Thursday night hosted by the Cameron County Democratic Bash instead than the a lot of votes held in the Household on Thursday and Friday, but failed to get an instant response.

His workplace responded just after publishing that his attendance at the event took put soon after Residence voting had finished on Thursday evening, and that he attended 3 other activities in an formal potential through the Friday voting hours in which the monthly bill to prevent a govt shutdown was handed.

A amount of other members also opted to vote by proxy, but it was not promptly very clear if they ended up also attending activities. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi extended proxy voting before this month until soon after the November election, declaring that the coronavirus pandemic however amounted to a public health crisis.

Other users have also continued to use the language citing a general public health unexpected emergency in their proxy letters when not able to attend votes in the Household Chamber, such as Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Texas, Gonzalez's opponent.

PELOSI EXTENDS PROXY VOTING IN THE House Until finally NOVEMBER Thanks TO CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC WHICH BIDEN Claimed 'IS OVER'

Gonzalez, who at the moment represents Texas' 15th Congressional District, is going through a tricky re-election battle towards Flores in the state's 34th Congressional District, right after deciding to operate there adhering to the redrawing of district maps.

G3 Box News' Ability rankings has rated the race as "lean Democratic."

Rep. Mayra Flores is the to start with Republican Latina at any time elected to Congress from Texas, and she is also the 1st woman Mexican-born member of the Home of Reps.  (G3 Box News Picture/Joshua Comins)

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The basic election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8.