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Dem who ripped rival’s donor-fueled 'good life' dropped campaign cash on Disney, spouse travel

Dem who ripped rival’s donor-fueled 'good life' dropped campaign cash on Disney, spouse travel

foxnews.com 08.10.2026 23:51 4 views
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, accused a GOP rival of "living the good life" on donor money, but his campaign reported nearly $20,000 spent on trips to Disney World, the UAE and Europe

A House Democrat accused a Republican rival of "living the good life" on donor money after her campaign reported Disney World spending, and she was allegedly seen returning from the theme park around the same time. But Democratic Texas Rep. Vicente Gonzalez's own records show nearly $20,000 in campaign spending around the same time on international and domestic trips with his wife, including his own visit to Disney World, a five-star hotel stay on the beach in the UAE and a Michelin-starred restaurant bill in Zurich.

Gonzalez made the jab at Republican Mayra Flores in October 2025, months after posting photos documenting his own two-day Disney World trip with his wife and several other associates on social media in April. The social media posts coincided with payments Gonzalez's campaign made to the Florida theme park and resort around the same time, totaling more than $1,100. PROMINENT DEM’S FATAL ERROR PROMPTS REPUBLICAN TO PREDICT ‘RED TIDAL WAVE’ IN BLUE STRONGHOLD The Disney payments and photos were just one piece of a broader travel and hospitality spending trail from Gonzalez’s campaign reviewed by Fox News Digital.

His campaign reported thousands of dollars in expenses at upscale restaurants and hotels from Washington and Texas, to California and Europe, alongside campaign spending on multiple overseas trips during which Gonzalez's wife accompanied, or appeared to accompany, the congressman, according to posts Gonzalez shared on social media. During one 2024 trip to the UAE that utilized campaign funds and coincided with social media posts in the same location posted on Gonzalez's Facebook, more than $13,000 in airfare and hotel expenses were spent. Gonzalez described apparent photos of the trip on social media as an "after campaign break," and his posts showed the congressman with his wife doing various sightseeing activities and one photo from a bed inside a top-floor luxury hotel room next to the beach.

The fifth-term Democrat representative is fighting to hold his South Texas seat against Republican Eric Flores in November after the GOP candidate defeated Mayra Flores and a crowded Republican field earlier this year. The race has drawn national attention as both parties battle for the district and Gonzalez enters the final stretch with a significant campaign cash advantage. Gonzalez took aim at rival Mayra Flores in 2025, suggesting she was potentially using campaign funds to travel to Disney World with her kids.

In an October 2025 social media post, Gonzalez shared a photo of her at Dallas Love Field Airport with two young family members, a Disney World bag and stuffed animals. Gonzalez captioned the photo "living the good life on donor's resources again" and cited a report that found payments to Disney World from her campaign around the same time as the photos. But federal campaign finance records show Gonzalez's own campaign reported a combined $1,122.76 went to Walt Disney Resorts on March 24, 2025, and May 27, 2025, around the same time he posted photos on social media from a two-day trip to Walt Disney World with his own family on April 26, 2025.

What a fantastic 2 days," Gonzalez posted on Facebook alongside a photo of himself, his wife and several others. SWALWELL PAL ACCUSED OF USING CAMPAIGN CASH TO BANKROLL ‘LUXURY LIFESTYLE,' INCLUDING SUPER BOWL TICKETS Federal campaign finance rules do not prohibit campaigns from paying travel expenses simply because a candidate's spouse or children accompany them. The FEC allows campaign funds to cover travel for candidates, their spouses and minor children when the trip is directly related to campaign activity or the candidate's official responsibilities as a federal officeholder.

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