Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales has fended off a challenge for his House seat from a gun enthusiast and social media influencer, but the margin of victory in the GOP primary runoff on Tuesday was frighteningly thin for the more moderate forces in the party.
Gonzales, who represents the 23rd Congressional District, including Uvalde, narrowly defeated Brandon Herrera, a YouTuber and pro-gun activist known as “The AK Guy” who was backed by MAGA figures like Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
The race put tensions within the Republican Party on full display, with Herrera attacking the incumbent for supporting a gun-safety bill in the wake of the horrific Uvalde school shooting, and Gonzales calling some of his far-right Republican colleagues “scumbags” in a TV interview last month. Allies of Gonzales feared that Democrats would have a better chance of flipping the seat in November if it fell to the far-right newcomer, threatening the GOP’s slim majority in the House.
In the end, despite Herrera spending a reported $1.3 million on TV ads for the race, voters opted to keep a much more moderate version of the GOP.
“The future of America remains as bright as ever. Thank you #TX23 for continuing to place your faith in me,” Gonzales posted on social media as he was projected to win late Tuesday.
His victory reportedly had a steep price, however: several super PACs poured more than $4 million into TV ads intended to take Herrera down, and Gonzales spent a whopping $1.9 million on TV ads, according to Politico.
Herrera told supporters on social media just after the polls closed, “We did an amazing thing… We made them fight for their lives.”
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