Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales Fends Off GOP Challenger, Prepares for November Showdown

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) spoke at the Bipartisan meeting about border patrol suicide rates at the House Triangle in Washington on Dec. 7, 2022. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) has won his reelection primary for the 23rd Congressional District in the May 28 Republican runoff election. He will face Democrat Santos Limon in November.

The Associated Press called the race at 1:05 a.m. New York time.

Brandon Herrera, a gun rights YouTuber with more than 3 million subscribers, challenged Mr. Gonzales, who has clashed with some of his more conservative colleagues in Washington; the incumbent also has drawn the ire of some in the state party.

While some within the Republican conference have a mistrust of Mr. Gonzales, others consider a newcomer taking the Republican nomination as a chance for Democrats to flip the moderate House district in November.

The 23rd District spans around 800 miles of the Texas–Mexico border, making border security a top priority for residents.

Mr. Gonzales was first elected to his position in 2020 and took the post with ease again in 2022. However, the state GOP sanctioned the Texan over his voting record, which included support for LGBT rights and gun restriction laws following the 2022 shooting in Uvalde.

In a recent interview, he said that elections like this will be a signal to the GOP. According to Mr. Gonzales, the outcome of his election will send a message about whether the party wants to lean toward the more conservative or become less contentious in Congress.

“Are we going to be the party that governs and gets things done in a conservative manner?“  Mr. Gonzales said during a CNN interview that aired on May 26. ”Or are we going to be the party that has jesters that come up here and say wild and crazy outrageous things and just try to burn the place down?”

When asked whether he regretted his vote for the bipartisan gun safety bill that placed him at odds with some of those in his party, Mr. Gonzales said he didn’t.

“Something has to change,” the lawmaker said, noting that his children wear bulletproof backpacks to school, calling it “unfair” to them.

“Overall, people are angry, and they’re angry for a reason,” he said of voters. “But are they going to be angry, and then they want to see outrage by setting stuff on fire? Or are we going to help quell that anger by delivering results? That is what’s at stake, not only in this race but … other races across the country.”

Firearms YouTuber

Mr. Herrera runs a popular YouTube channel on which he primarily discusses firearms. Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Bob Good (R-Va.) endorsed Mr. Herrera, who has received support from a number of other conservative Republicans inside the GOP. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), however, threw his support behind Mr. Gonzales.

During his interview with CNN, Mr. Gonzales declared his intention—should he win the runoff—to campaign in the districts of Mr. Good and Mr. Gaetz.

“I plan to spend a lot of time in Pensacola,” Mr. Gonzales said, referring to the city in Mr. Gaetz’s Florida Panhandle. “I plan to spend a lot of time in Virginia and some of these other places. So I think my race is only the beginning, right? You can send everything you got at me. You’re never going to beat me, right? You’re just not.”

In the 12th Congressional District runoff, Craig Goldman and John O'Shea will face off in the contest to succeed high-ranking Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), who isn’t seeking reelection.

Elsewhere in Texas, Mr. Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton supported candidates that stood against the impeachment of Mr. Paxton and would vote in favor of the governor’s school voucher program.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.