Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales narrowly won a primary runoff election on Tuesday, fending off a hardline opponent who attacked him for winning bipartisan votes, including helping pass a new gun law after the school shooting. in Uvalde.
Gonzales defeated pro-gun YouTube personality Brandon Herrera by just 407 votes, 50.7% to 49.3%, according to the Associated Press. Gonzales won 45% of the vote in the initial March primary, compared to Herrera’s 25%, but the two advanced to a runoff because neither received majority support.
Gonzales will now be the favorite to win a third term this fall in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District — which Donald Trump won by 7 points in 2020, according to calculations by Kos Daily Elections — about Democrat Santos Limon, civil engineer. The massive border district between the US and Mexico stretches from the outskirts of San Antonio to El Paso.
Gonzales would have been the first House member to lose a primary in 2024, outside of a race in Alabama that pitted two incumbents against each other after redistricting. He was supported by Texas Governor Greg AbbottHouse Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and even actor Matthew McConaughey, who recorded robocalls to Gonzales.
Herrera, who goes by the nickname “The AK Guy,” has a gun-focused YouTube channel with more than 3.4 million subscribers. He was endorsed by MAGA Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.
Herrera’s strong support for gun rights raised an issue that Gonzales has been fighting politically since 2022, when he joined 13 other Republican House members in voting with Democrats to pass the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a law that expanded Background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21 and made It is a federal crime to illegally traffic firearms in the U.S.
The bill passed the House just weeks after a mass shooting killed 21 students and teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, located in Gonzales County.
The Texas Republican Party cited Gonzales’ vote in favor of this bill as one of the reasons why chose to censor the holder last year, in addition to his support for a measure protecting same-sex marriage.
Despite the political backlash, Gonzales told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that “you can’t be afraid to do what you think is right. You will never get everything perfect, but you have to fight for the things that are important to us. Keeping our children safe from being murdered by crazy people should be important to all of us.”
“I’m not afraid of this vote. I’m not afraid of this second round,” Gonzales added after saying, “I’m in the middle of a second round fighting for my life, politically.”
The primary runoff drew more than $5 million in advertising spending, according to AdImpact, with groups including the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund, the American Action Network (a nonprofit aligned with Republican Party leadership) and the Hispanic Leadership Alliance collectively spending millions to defend Gonzales.
Sam Markstein, communications director for the RJC, told NBC News before the primary runoff that the group views Gonzales as a “workhorse” in Congress and called Herrera “crazy.”
Herrera’s campaign has spent just over $700,000 on ads in the district since the primary, praising yourself as a Trump ally. He also attacked Gonzales for “[putting] American last.
Gonzales’ allies hit Herrera on the airwaves with clips from his online videos, including one in which he mocked veteran suicides, saying, “I often think about putting a gun in my mouth. So I’m basically an honorary veteran.”
It’s an argument that pro-Gonzales groups hoped would be particularly relevant in this district, which is home to Joint Base San Antonio and Fort Bliss.
Gonzales’ allies also labeled Herrera as an adventurer, saying he only recently moved from North Carolina to Texas.
RJC officials linked Herrera to the current “chaos” in Congress.
“A very thin [GOP] Most, as you know, would be even more compromised and even more difficult to add someone who would just go out there and cause chaos,” Markstein said.
“We don’t need chaos in the House,” Markstein added, “We need strong, effective leadership.”
Henry Cuellar welcomes his GOP challenger
Gonzales’ fight for another term was the most high-profile of a handful of primary elections for Texas congressional seats on Tuesday.
In Texas’ 28th District, retired Navy officer Jay Furman defeated rancher Lazaro Garza in a Republican primary runoff for the right to face Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar in November, AP reported.
In May, Cuellar and his wife were indicted on federal charges of bribery and money laundering. The parliamentarian denied any irregularities. President Joe Biden won Cuellar’s district by 7 points in 2020, according to calculations by Kos Daily Elections.
The AP also projected that state Rep. Craig Goldman won the Republican primary runoff over businessman John O’Shea in Texas’ 12th District. The solidly red seat is currently represented by Rep. Kay Granger, who is retiring.
The race divided Republican Party loyalties in the state, with Abbott supporting Goldman and state Attorney General Paxton endorsing O’Shea.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
