Vicente Gonzalez has carved out a role as an adamant centrist who, in his short time in Congress, has broken with his party on several hot-button issues. He’s backed bills that expand gun rights and disagreed with Democrats who have wanted to scale back the ability of members to carry weapons in the Capitol complex. On the environment, he’s on record opposing cap and trade efforts. Gonzalez opened his law firm in McAllen in 1997. The firm represents policy holders making claims against insurance companies; on its website, the company says it has recovered tens of millions of dollars in claims. When Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D) decided to retire after 10 terms in Congress in 2016, Gonzalez decided to run.