Texas's 21st district includes parts of Austin and broad San Antonio suburbs, and is wealthy and reliably Republican. Chip Roy grew up near suburban D.C., earned two degrees from the University of Virginia, and spent a brief period in investment banking. Roy moved to Texas and into conservative politics partly as a career move, seeking opportunity where partisan work is available. Roy's role in the House Freedom Caucus and his outspoken reactions, including strong personal offense at LIV Golf, reflect both sincere libertarian convictions and an abrasive political style. The move to Texas also functioned as a pragmatic business decision tied to his skills and temperament.
As Texas congressional districts go, the 21st is pretty easy to parse. The outline of it, which dips into Austin and enfolds a vast swath of the San Antonio suburbs, looks like a lumpier than average flightless bird, or a small-headed figure wearing a cape in a windstorm. It is rich and Republican and has been represented by Rep. Chip Roy since 2019.
Roy was born and raised around suburban D.C. and got two degrees from the University of Virginia; after a brief career in investment banking-"nearly three years," according to his official bio -Roy moved to Texas and into the world of conservative politics for roughly the same reason that an aspiring actor might move to Los Angeles, or that someone looking to make a bunch of money at once might rob a bank instead of a florist.
This is not to say that Roy doesn't really believe all the things he says he believes. His refusal to go along or get along as a charter member of the ultra-strident House Freedom Caucus suggests that he is at least sincerely committed to the core libertarian principle of annoying as many people as possible at all times; the nature of Roy's deep and seemingly authentic personal offense at the existence of LIV Golf-"It just pisses me off," Roy said in 2022, "I could just put on the Golf Channel, I could watch golf, now it's fully charged political"-suggests that he is if nothing else in the right political party.
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