BROWNSVILLE - Congressional hopeful Dr. Rey Gonzalez Jr. bills himself as a both physician and an attorney – a description that may not be technically true under Texas law.
Gonzalez, a Republican candidate for Texas’ 34th Congressional District, has made faith a central theme of his campaign, and faith may be what he hopes voters will take his word at when telling them he’s a physician.
According to the Texas Medical Board, graduates of Medical schools who are not licensed but reside in Texas are entitled to use the title MD or DO, as applicable, after their name. However, if they hold themselves out to be licensed, or practice medicine without being licensed, they may be subject to criminal charges.
Gonzalez refused to respond to multiple requests for comment – all of which sought to ascertain whether he was licensed to practice medicine in the state of Texas or anywhere else.
A search of license records on the Texas Medical Board website indicated that Gonzalez is not licensed to practice medicine in Texas, and The Record was unable to locate records indicating that Gonzalez is licensed to practice medicine in any jurisdiction.
A Rio Grande Valley native, Gonzalez is a Baylor University graduate and holds a medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine, as well as a law degree from the University of Dayton. The Record verified that Gonzalez has a valid Texas law license, which he obtained in 2011.
Ross University is a private, for-profit, medical school in Barbados. And while many for-profit schools in the Caribbean have garnered questionable reputations, Ross is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education.
So what does that mean for Gonzalez? Well, according to Gonzalez’s candidate profile on iVoterGuide, he is a physician with patients.
Here’s what Gonzalez put under the questionnaire section: “For those who want to relate to the candidate, I am a physician. Like most doctors, I care about people. I listen. I act decisively in the best interest of my patients.”
Gonzalez has also held himself out as a “physician” in other candidate questionnaires and in speeches on the campaign trail.
Section 151.002 of the Texas Occupations Code (Medical Practice Act) defines a "physician" as "a person licensed to practice medicine in this state." Section 165.156 of the Texas Occupations Code makes it a criminal offense for an individual to indicate “through the use of any letters, words, or terms affixed on stationery or on advertisements, or in any other manner” that they are entitled to practice medicine when they are not licensed to do so.
Gonzalez unsuccessfully ran for the 34th District in 2018 and 2016. He will face incumbent Democrat Filemon Vela in the general election.