But Gonzales’ lead has narrowed.
SAN ANTONIO — Tony Gonzales faces a big obstacle on his road to a potential third term in the U.S. House District 23 seat. On Tuesday, voters will decide between him or Second Amendment YouTuber Brandon Herrera to be the Republican nominee.
Gonzales and Herrera were the top two vote-getters in the March Primary Election. In a packed Republican race, no candidate reached the 50% threshold to win outright. The winner will go on to face Santos Limon in November.
Gonzales was granted a comfortable head start over Herrera with the early vote; he leads his challenger 55% to 45% with more than 17,000 ballots case in the race.
U.S. House District 23 encompasses 58,000 square miles in west Texas and is home to more than 778,000 residents, according to Census Reporter.
Gonzales faced a serious push from the right this year after months of beefing with cultural conservatives in Washington and Texas. The state party censured him over his support for gun safety legislation in the wake of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, which is in his district. It also cited his opposition to House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy’s hardline border bill in 2023 and Gonzales’ opposition to a House rules package negotiated between hardliners and then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Herrera is new to politics, using his prominent internet presence to get out his pro-gun message. Much of his support comes from out of state from small-dollar donors. Herrera also has the backing of the House Freedom Caucus.
Gonzales has a serious fundraising operation, raising over $4 million this cycle, including from business interests in West Texas and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He has also been endorsed by major Republican leaders including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Abbott and Patrick.
The district was historically a swing district but became much more comfortably Republican after redistricting in 2021.
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