Rep. Gonzales Seeks to Fend Off Challenger in Texas Runoff Elections

Texas voters are heading to the polls on May 28 to help decide the makeup of the Texas state legislature as well as who will represent the congressional district that is home to Uvalde, Texas.

Two-term Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) is facing activist and conservative YouTube broadcaster Brandon Herrera in the runoff election, saying in a recent interview 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? 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?” Mr. Gonzales said during a CNN interview that aired on May 26.

Mr. Gonzales voted for the bipartisan gun safety bill following the events of the Uvalde school shooting in May 2022, and his opponent has campaigned on gun rights in the fight against the congressman.

When asked if he regretted his vote, Mr. Gonzales said he did not.

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

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“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.”

Mr. Herrera runs a popular YouTube channel where he primarily discusses firearms. Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Bob Good (R-Va.) have endorsed Mr. Herrera, who has received support from a number of conservative Republicans inside the GOP. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), however, has thrown 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.”

Elsewhere in Texas, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dade Phelan (R) in District 21, is in a fight against challenger David Covey, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Mr. Phelan frustrated many Texas Republicans in 2023 when he led last year’s impeachment effort against Mr. Paxton and has worked to keep a block of the election of state lawmakers loyal to Mr. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R).

Texas House members voted 123–23 to impeach Mr. Paxton during his term in office. However, the Senate acquitted him 19–11 on 16 articles of impeachment, which contained allegations of bribery, obstruction of justice, and abuse of public trust.

As a supporter of Mr. Paxton, President Trump became embroiled in the local election subsequent to denouncing the impeachment as “unfair.”

Additionally, Mr. Phelan and other Republican incumbents drew the ire of Mr. Abbott for standing up to his school choice program. In all, 16 Republicans stood in the way of school choice, but only six need to be unseated and replaced by those in favor of the program for the measure to see success.

State Republican leaders were nearly successful the first time around, with five seats flipping in favor of the governor’s agenda and four more at risk of changing hands in the runoffs on May 28.

Other races in which challengers have the backing of the governor and attorney general include District 1, where incumbent Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R) is challenged by Chris Spencer; District 44, where incumbent Rep. John Kuempel faces challenger Rep. Alan Schoolcraft (R); and District 58, where incumbent DeWayne Burns (R) faces challenger Helen Kerwin.

Challengers in Districts 33, 61, 64, and 91 received only endorsements by Mr. Paxton, which would potentially unseat Reps. Justin Holland (R), Frederick Frazier (R), Lynn Stucky (R), and Stephanie Click (R).

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 is not seeking reelection.