Despite a range of topics addressed by his constituents, Congressman Lance Gooden kept returning to one central solution – elect Donald Trump president in November.

Gooden spoke in Mineola last Thursday morning as part of a series of five town halls in the Fifth District. It attracted a full Dogwood Room at the Mineola Civic Center for the hour-long event.

Following introductory remarks, Gooden fielded 5-6 audience questions.

He is in his third term in the U.S House and has a Democratic opponent in the November general election, Ruth Torres.

Republicans in Congress are focused on oversight of the current Democratic administration, he said, and this being an election year, not much else will get done legislatively. Representatives will leave Washington in October to campaign.

In some instances they plan to campaign outside their districts.

Gooden said that while he is taking his Democratic opponent seriously, he is also focused on helping in swing districts.

He listed four key election issues: border security, crime, gasoline prices and inflation.

All were under control under Trump’s administration, Gooden noted.

After being told by President Biden and administration officials for years that the border is secure, Biden suddenly authored an executive order last week to help secure the border.

Gooden explained it is a sign that Democrats know this issue will cost their party in November.

The biggest prize in the presidential election will be Pennsylvania, Gooden said, and he will be spending some time there.

He thinks Republicans can keep control of the House of Representatives and might be able to gain the Senate and the White House.

He doesn’t think there is a way for Democrats to win all three.

The election will be determined in 5-6 states and won’t be determined in Texas.

“You will never experience what a voter in Pennsylvania does,” he said, with every other commercial about the election.

Gooden described President Biden as incompetent and not fit to serve.

He addressed the recent prosecution of Trump and said the American people see through this, and that some Democrats think it will backfire.

“I sound like a broken record,” he said. ”We are working as hard as we can to deliver a result (Trump’s election). My colleagues are, and the Democrats are as well.”

He said that the district is diverse in a sense, with eastern Dallas County heavily Democratic, and the rest of the mostly rural district heavily Republican.

“This is a very conservative red area,” Gooden said. ”I have voted and acted that way unapologetically.”

Questions included the events of Jan. 6, 2021 (Gooden thinks Trump will pardon those prosecuted to the attack on the Capitol), election integrity (“We don’t know how many votes were mismanaged in Georgia”), term limits (“I signed that pledge”), and immigration polices (“I have been very outspoken against those policies”).