Scandal-plagued Tony Gonzales forced into GOP primary run-off
Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales will face Brandon Herrera in a runoff after neither candidate cleared 50% in the district’s race. With about 77% of precincts counted, both candidates were at 42.5% of the vote, Gonzales narrowly ahead by around four votes. The runoff is set for may 26, with early voting May 18–22; under state law, a recount can be requested if the margin is within 10%. The campaign has been overshadowed by controversy over alleged explicit text messages Gonzales sent to a staffer who later died by suicide; Gonzales has refused to resign and plans to continue his reelection bid in 2026. Herrera has received an endorsement from the House Freedom Caucus’s political action committee, reflecting a strong right-flank challenge. Other texas races, including a Senate or attorney general runoff, are also in play.
Scandal-plagued Tony Gonzales forced into GOP primary run-off for House seat
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) is heading to a runoff election against Republican opponent Brandon Herrera after neither candidate received the 50% required to win the race on Tuesday night.
The Associated Press called the race as a run-off as Gonzales and Herrera had 42.5% of the vote as of 1:15 a.m. With 77% of the vote counted, the congressman led his opponent by just four votes.
Per state law, the race will automatically go to a runoff, which is scheduled on May 26, with early voting in the runoff taking place from May 18–22.
Candidates in a runoff can request a recount if the results are within 10% of each other. Both Gonzales and Herrera are familiar with a runoff; the candidates faced each other in a runoff election in 2024, with Gonzales narrowly defeating Herrera by roughly 400 votes.
“Thank you President Trump and all those #TX23 constituents that support our campaign. Onward to a victorious May,” Gonzales wrote in a post to X.
“Are you seriously congratulating yourself for not winning your primary?” Herrera responded in a post.
Gonzales faced an embattled last few months after text messages recently released allegedly showed the congressman sending explicit sexual text messages to the staffer, who later died by suicide after setting herself on fire last year.
JOHNSON SAYS GONZALES CONTROVERSY WILL PLAY OUT IN HIS TEXAS PRIMARY
Gonzales has insisted he would not resign nor suspend his 2026 reelection campaign, despite pressure from some of his fellow House Republicans. Herrera also received an endorsement from the House Freedom Caucus’s political action committee, the House Freedom Fund, which did not come as a surprise, considering right-flank conservatives in Texas have been looking to remove Gonzales from office since he’s taken centrist stances on Republican policies.
Other races poised for a runoff include the Texas GOP primary for Senate or the attorney general race.
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