Michael Tolbert, former chair of the county’s Democratic party, recalled when Moran voted against a resolution to designate a certain day “NAACP Tyler-Smith County Day,” a largely symbolic gesture to support the civil rights organization. At the time, Moran said the NAACP’s “political stance” on certain issues, like removing Confederate monuments, made it impossible to support the resolution. Tolbert saw the move as malicious.

Tolbert also criticized Moran’s decision to support a resolution to make Smith County a “Second Amendment sanctuary city” and he worries that unlike Gohmert, Moran will be successful at passing far-right legislation while in office.

“He might not be as overtly malicious as Gohmert, but in practice he’ll be more dangerous,” Tolbert said. “Because he’s a more refined package.”

Much of what Moran accomplishes will be determined by which committees he’s assigned. He said he ultimately hopes to be on the Ways and Means Committee, the chief tax-writing committee and one of the most powerful. Short term, he’d like to serve on the Judiciary Committee or Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

This article was written by POOJA SALHOTRA  of The Texas Tribune.  The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.  This article originally appeared at: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/01/03/nathaniel-moran-louie-gohmert-congress/