U.S. Representative Lance Gooden addressed a large crowd Monday at the Wood County Republican Women's meeting on Monday, discussing redistricting, border security, upcoming elections and the future of Wood County’s representation in Congress.

Gooden began his speech by acknowledging that Wood County will no longer be part of his congressional district beginning in January because of newly drawn district maps.

“Wood County is probably one of my favorite places in East Texas, which is why it was so sad when redistricting happened,” Gooden said.
Under the new redistricting map, Wood County will move into a district represented by Jace Yarbrough. Gooden suggested the arrangement may not be permanent, though. “There’s a chance that you could get me back after two years,” he said. “We’re 100% confident that we’re going to have redistricting again.”

Gooden said Republican leaders pushed for redistricting changes in Texas as part of a broader national effort to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“The president knew the situation was going to be tough,” Gooden said. “We had a slim majority, and he wanted to squeeze some more seats out of Texas for the R side.”

Gooden then turned to the upcoming 2026 midterm elections and Republican efforts to preserve their narrow majority in the House of Representatives.

“The focus through November is going to be on those 35 seats in the middle,” he said, referring to competitive congressional districts across the country that could potentially flip.

Gooden also spoke on hot-button issues such as immigration and border security, saying the Trump administration has shifted its deportation strategy away from highly publicized raids and toward targeted arrests of individuals with criminal warrants. “Your border is secure, as secure as ever,” Gooden said. 

He also addressed ongoing reconciliation bills in Congress, Texas Senate runoff races and foreign policy concerns involving Iran and Ukraine.
During a question-and-answer session, audience members asked about election integrity, immigration, energy projects and data centers planned for East Texas. 

Near the end of the event, Gooden reflected on his years representing Wood County and thanked local supporters for their continued involvement.
“I will leave office as your congressman at the end of this year, and then when I’m sworn in in January, I won’t represent Wood County,” he said. “Even after we are not officially yours … we love you.” Gooden encouraged audience members to still reach out to his office if they had concerns. 

The Wood County Republican Women presented Gooden with a proclamation honoring his service to Wood County and support of the organization before concluding the meeting.