Anthony Gonzalez, a Republican Who Voted to Impeach Trump, Won't Run in 2022

WASHINGTON — Calling erstwhile President Donald J. Trump “a crab for the country,” Representative Anthony Gonzalez, Republican of Ohio, said successful an interrogation connected Thursday that helium would not tally for re-election successful 2022, ceding his spot aft conscionable 2 presumption successful Congress alternatively than vie against a Trump-backed superior opponent.

Mr. Gonzalez is the first, but possibly not the last, of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Mr. Trump aft the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to discontinue alternatively than look ferocious primaries adjacent twelvemonth successful a enactment inactive successful thrall to the erstwhile president.

The congressman, who has 2 young children, emphasized that helium was leaving successful ample portion due to the fact that of household considerations and the difficulties that travel with surviving betwixt 2 cities. But helium made wide that the strain had lone grown worse since his impeachment vote, aft which helium was deluged with threats and feared for the information of his woman and children.

Mr. Gonzalez said that quality-of-life issues had been paramount successful his decision. He recounted an “eye-opening” infinitesimal this year: erstwhile helium and his household were greeted astatine the Cleveland airdrome by 2 uniformed constabulary officers, portion of other information precautions taken aft the impeachment vote.

“That’s 1 of those moments wherever you say, ‘Is this truly what I privation for my household erstwhile they travel, to person my woman and kids escorted done the airport?’” helium said.

Mr. Gonzalez, who turns 37 connected Saturday, was the benignant of Republican enlistee the enactment erstwhile prized. A Cuban American who starred arsenic an Ohio State wide receiver, helium was selected successful the archetypal circular of the N.F.L. draught and past earned an M.B.A. astatine Stanford aft his shot vocation was chopped abbreviated by injuries. He claimed his Northeast Ohio spot successful his archetypal bid for governmental office.

Mr. Gonzalez, a conservative, mostly supported the erstwhile president’s agenda. Yet helium started breaking with Mr. Trump and House Republican leaders erstwhile they sought to artifact the certification of past year’s statesmanlike vote, and helium was horrified by Jan. 6 and its implications.

Still, helium insisted helium could person prevailed successful what helium acknowledged would person been a “brutally hard primary” against Max Miller, a erstwhile Trump White House adjutant who was endorsed by the erstwhile president successful February.

Yet arsenic Mr. Gonzalez sat connected a sofa successful his House office, astir of his colleagues inactive astatine location for the prolonged summertime recess, helium acknowledged that helium could not carnivore the imaginable of winning if it meant returning to a Trump-dominated House Republican caucus.

“Politically the situation is truthful toxic, particularly successful our ain enactment close now,” helium said. “You tin combat your butt disconnected and triumph this thing, but are you truly going to beryllium happy? And the reply is, astir apt not.”

For the Ohioan, Jan. 6 was “a line-in-the-sand moment” and Mr. Trump represents thing little than a menace to American democracy.

“I don’t judge helium tin ever beryllium president again,” Mr. Gonzalez said. “Most of my governmental vigor volition beryllium spent moving connected that nonstop goal.”

Mr. Gonzalez said determination had been immoderate uncertainty aft the battle connected the Capitol implicit whether Republican leaders would proceed to bow to Mr. Trump.

But the ouster of Representative Liz Cheney from her enactment post; the continued obeisance of Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House number leader; and the caller determination to invite Mr. Trump to beryllium the keynote speaker astatine a large House Republican fund-raiser were clarifying. At slightest successful Washington, this is inactive Mr. Trump’s party.

“This is the absorption that we’re going to spell successful for the adjacent 2 years and perchance four, and it’s going to marque Trump the halfway of fund-raising efforts and governmental outreach,” Mr. Gonzalez said. “That’s not thing I’m going to beryllium portion of.”

Asked however helium could anticipation to cleanse the enactment of Mr. Trump if helium himself was not consenting to face the erstwhile president successful a proxy combat adjacent twelvemonth against Mr. Miller, Mr. Gonzalez insisted that determination were inactive Republicans successful bureau who would support “the fundamentals of democracy.”

With much ardor, helium argued that Mr. Trump has little of a pursuing among grass-roots Republicans than the party’s leaders believe, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to whom the rank-and-file privation to pb their 2024 ticket.

“Where I spot a large spread is, astir radical that I talk to backmost location hold with the policies but they besides privation america to determination connected from the person” and “the benignant of resentment authorities that has taken implicit the party,” Mr. Gonzalez said.

Congressional maps are acceptable to beryllium redrawn this year, and it’s unclear what Mr. Gonzalez’s district, the 16th, volition look similar afterward. But helium said helium would astir apt not instrumentality sides successful the superior to win him, which is present apt to see further candidates.

He said helium would stay successful the House done the extremity of his word unless thing changed with his family.

Mr. Gonzalez was emphatic that the threats were not wherefore helium was leaving — the commute was much trying, helium said — but successful a matter-of-fact fashion, helium recounted radical online saying things like, “We’re coming to your house.”

In accordance with the proposal House officials gave to each members, Mr. Gonzalez had a information advisor locomotion done his location to guarantee it was good protected.

“It’s a reflection of wherever our authorities looked similar it was headed post-Jan. 6,” helium said.

Neither Mr. Trump nor immoderate of his intermediaries person sought to propulsion him retired of the race, Mr. Gonzalez said.

Asked astir Mr. Trump’s inevitable crowing implicit his exit from the primary, Mr. Gonzalez dismissed the erstwhile president.

“I haven’t cared what helium says oregon thinks since Jan. 6, extracurricular erstwhile helium continues to prevarication astir the election, which I person a occupation with,” helium said.

What intelligibly does fuss him, though, are the Republicans who proceed to abet Mr. Trump’s predetermination falsehoods, acts of appeasement that helium said were morally incorrect and politically foolhardy aft the enactment mislaid some chambers of Congress and the White House nether the erstwhile president’s leadership.

“We’ve learned the incorrect acquisition arsenic a party,” Mr. Gonzalez said, “but beyond that, and much importantly, it’s horribly irresponsible and destructive for the country.”