Texas Rep. Tony Gonzalez barely wins GOP runoff against gun-rights activist in closely-watched contest

Austin, Texas – Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas narrowly won Tuesday’s primary against a gun rights activist who pushed the border congressman into a bruising runoff that threatened to unseat an incumbent in the U.S. House.

Another prominent Texas Republican, state House Speaker Dade Phelan, also defeated a right-wing challenger backed by former President Donald Trump.

Both won by razor-thin margins, reflecting anger among hard-line conservatives and a wave of partisan turmoil in America’s biggest red state over votes that broke party lines and the impeachment of state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Gonzales defeated Brandon Herrera, a gun enthusiast who calls himself “The AK Guy” on social media and attacked him for positions that angered the far right of the Republican Party in Texas. Gonzales’ supporters have warned that a defeat in Tuesday’s election could open the door for Democrats to flip the district in November.

During the campaign, Herrera attacked the two-term Republican for his support of a gun safety bill following the 2022 Uvalde school shooting — which happened in Gonzales County — and past criticism of hard-line immigration proposals. .

Gonzales will face Democrat Santos Limon in the November general election.

Gonzales, whose critics consider him a moderate within the Republican Party, called some of his far-right colleagues in Congress “scumbags” during an interview with CNN in April.

He was censured by the Texas Republican Party in 2023 for his support of protecting same-sex marriage at the federal level and the bipartisan gun safety bill following the Uvalde mass shooting.

But Gonzales has attracted support from top Republicans — including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — at a time when the party holds a slim majority in the House. House Speaker Mike Johnson attended a fundraiser for Gonzales, who far surpassed Herrera.

Herrera is a gun manufacturer who posts videos about guns and gun rights and has more than 3 million followers on YouTube.

Gonzalez told CBS News in a recent interview that these lawmakers and their opponent are not “serious people.”

“There’s a bigger battle going on outside of this race, and what does the future of the Republican Party look like?” Gonzales said. “Will we govern conservatives like me, or will these bomb-throwing gestures want to come here and burn the place down?”

Given the support of establishment Republicans, Gonzales significantly outperformed Herrera in the race. Gonzales has raised $3.4 million through May 8, compared to Herrera’s $367,000 over the same period.

Gonzales attacked Herrera for only moving to the district in recent years, while Herrera took advantage of Gonzales’ 2022 vote for the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which included a provision for the “boyfriend” loophole for gun purchases, the first time any type of gun control legislation has passed Congress since the 1990s. Gonzales was one of 14 Republicans who voted in favor of the bill.

In the interview with CBS News, Gonzales defended his vote and said he “worked very hard” to ensure that the legislation “protected the Constitution, but also solved some problems.”

“What it did was increase background checks on minors, and I think that’s a positive thing,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales told “Face the Nation” Domingo that he “knew at the time” when he voted on the 2022 bill that it would hurt him politically, but insisted he was not “afraid of that vote.”

Here’s a look at other important primary flows in Texas

Phelan, who finished second in March behind challenger David Covey, a former local party chairman and Trump-backed oil and gas consultant, rallied to a primary victory on Tuesday.

Phelan’s victory at least temporarily staved off a push by Paxton and others to force him to abandon his leadership role in the state’s dominant party. But a change at the Texas Capitol may still be coming.

While the victory keeps Phelan in the general election in his southeast Texas district, the bruising primary fight leaves questions about his ability to keep the speakership.

At the election night party, Phelan declared victory in what he called “a terrible, horrible, devastating, drawn-out fight” and told supporters he will remain speaker of the House.

“I think this second round did me a favor,” Phelan said. “This allowed my constituents to know what my true record is.”

The race was a snapshot of the fractures within the Republican Party at the national level. Phelan, who has been speaker of the House since 2021, came under fire after his chamber voted last year to impeach Paxton on bribery and corruption charges. Paxton was later acquitted in the state Senate.

Phelan presided over votes that enacted some of the country’s toughest anti-abortion laws, greatly expanded gun rights, supported Abbott’s highly visible anti-immigration platforms, and restricted LGBTQ+ rights.

After Phelan declared victory, Covey and Paxton accused him of luring Democrats into voting for him in the Republican primary and pushing him to the top. Texas has an open primary system, meaning voters can cross party lines to vote.

“Dade Phelan may have won this election, but in doing so, he irrevocably destroyed his already feeble legacy,” Covey said.

Katrina Pierson, Trump’s former spokeswoman, defeated incumbent Justin Holland for his state House seat in the Dallas suburbs.

Holland was among the House Republicans who voted to impeach Paxton. He also voted in favor of raising the age for purchasing assault rifles from 18 to 21 and against Abbott’s plan to spend public education money on private schools. Abbott campaigned for Pierson.

Republicans chose Jay Furman, a retired Navy veteran, as their candidate to run in November against Henry Cuellar, a longtime Democratic congressman who, along with his wife, was indicted this spring on federal bribery, money laundering and fraud charges. Cuellar said he is innocent; three associates pleaded guilty in related investigations.

Furman defeated rancher and businessman Lazaro Garza in the South Texas district that Cuellar has held since 2005. Both campaigned for greater border security and immigration restrictions.

There was also another Cuellar on the ballot: Rosie Cuellar, her sister, was defeated by Cecilia Castellano in the Democratic runoff for a South Texas state House seat. The March primaries were held before Henry Cuellar was indicted.

The winner advances to the November general election against Republican Don McLaughlin, who was mayor of Uvalde when the school shooting occurred.

Republicans also chose real estate entrepreneur and state Rep. Craig Goldman over construction businessman John O’Shea to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, the nation’s longest-serving Republican congresswoman. Goldman will face Democrat Trey Hunt in the heavily Republican district anchored in Fort Worth.

Granger, 81, was first elected in 1996 and is the former chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. She announced last year that she would not seek re-election.

— Caroline Linton continuedassigned reports