{"id":2253641,"date":"2024-05-27T06:32:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-27T10:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tony-gonzales-plots-revenge-tour-for-gop-colleagues-backing-primary-challenger\/"},"modified":"2024-05-27T06:36:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T10:36:19","slug":"tony-gonzales-plots-revenge-tour-for-gop-colleagues-backing-primary-challenger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tony-gonzales-plots-revenge-tour-for-gop-colleagues-backing-primary-challenger\/","title":{"rendered":"Tony Gonzales plans retaliation for GOP peers supporting his primary opponent"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftony-gonzales-plots-revenge-tour-for-gop-colleagues-backing-primary-challenger%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2253641&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Texas Congressman Tony \u2064Gonzales threatens possible retribution against those GOP colleagues \u2064who are campaigning against his re-election. Pursuing \u2064his third term to represent Texas&#8217;s 23rd Congressional District, Gonzales is \u2062facing opposition \u2063from his party over his\u200d protective\u200d stance on same-sex \u200cmarriage and his \u200badvocacy for stricter gun safety laws. \u200cHis voting record has drawn several candidates aiming to unseat him in the primary elections. A runoff election is scheduled as neither Gonzales\u2063 nor his challenger, Brandon Herrera, secured \u200cmore than 50% of votes. Herrera challenges \u200dGonzales&#8217;s 2022 decision to support\u2063 a bill enhancing gun \u2063safety laws.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tony-gonzales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Tony Gonzales<\/a> (R-TX) is warning of possible retribution against some of his GOP colleagues in the House who are actively campaigning against the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Texas\">Texas<\/a> Republican\u2019s reelection bid. <\/p>\n<p>As Gonzales seeks a third term to his seat on Tuesday representing Texas\u2019s 23rd Congressional District, the incumbent is facing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/2975334\/hardline-house-republicans-tony-gonzales-primary-slammed-gaetz-good\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>challenge from his right<\/a> over his voting record to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2022\/07\/19\/congress-same-sex-marriage-texas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>protect same-sex marriage<\/a> and to implement stricter gun safety measures. Those votes attracted a crowded field of candidates looking to oust the incumbent during the March primary, forcing Gonzales into a runoff with challenger Brandon Herrera after neither <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-herschel-walker-increasing-lead-in-georgia-senate-race\/\" title=\"Poll: Herschel Walker Increasing Lead In Georgia Senate Race\">candidate secured<\/a> more than 50% of the vote. <\/p>\n<p>The runoff election has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnns-jim-acosta-admits-to-media-bias-against-the-president\/\" title=\"CNN\u2019S Jim Acosta admits to media bias against the President\">attracted national attention<\/a> as many of Gonzales\u2019s colleagues in the House have endorsed his challenger, a move the Texas Republican said won\u2019t go unnoticed. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere\u2019s the deal: If somebody backs your opponent and goes to your district and does events [and] are giving your opponent money \u2014 they are trying to kill you politically. And you better believe them,\u201d Gonzales told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>in an interview. \u201cSo your only option is to kill them politically. So I think there\u2019s focus on Tuesday, and then we\u2019re going to do a little purging of ourselves of our own.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The runoff on Tuesday will feature a matchup between Gonzales and Herrera, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-faces-massive-backlash-for-firing-gina-carano-as-cancel-disney-plus-trends-1-critics-bring-up-companys-history\/\" title=\"Disney Faces Massive Backlash For Firing Gina Carano As \u2018Cancel Disney Plus\u2019 Trends #1, Critics Bring Up Company\u2019s History\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 Individuals and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">gun rights<\/a> activist<\/a> and hard-right YouTuber who is challenging the incumbent after he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2022\/06\/24\/bipartisan-gun-legislation-tony-gonzales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>broke with party lines in 2022<\/a> to vote in favor of a bill that would strengthen gun safety laws. The measure came in response to a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which is located in Gonzales\u2019s district. <\/p>\n<p>That shooting left 19 children and two teachers dead, and it reignited national discussions about national gun control reform. <\/p>\n<p>That vote is what spurred Herrera to challenge Gonzales for his seat, telling gun rights activists at an event <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2024\/03\/25\/brandon-herrera-tony-gonzales-primary-runoff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>earlier this year<\/a> that \u201cif you vote against our interests, if you vote against gun rights, if you vote against the Constitution \u2026 we will challenge you, we will primary you and we will win. We will take your f***ing job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>reached out to Herrera\u2019s campaign for this story. <\/p>\n<p>But Gonzales says he is unconcerned with the challenge, pointing to the state\u2019s primary when the incumbent received <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/03\/05\/us\/elections\/results-texas-us-house-23-primary.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>45% of the vote compared to Herrera\u2019s 25%<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m gonna dust this guy, no doubt in my mind,\u201d Gonzales said. \u201cAnd honestly, I\u2019ve gotten a whole lot stronger for it, too. So I don\u2019t worry about what some of my colleagues up here are doing or not doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not entirely clear what kind of political retribution Gonzales could pursue against his colleagues should he cruise to reelection. However, the Texas Republican pointed to at least three GOP county chairs in Texas who he has been able to \u201cpurge\u201d from leadership because they were \u201canti-Tony,\u201d specifically citing Bexar and Medina counties. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey have been replaced with pro-Tony GOP county chairs that will take place the first week of June,\u201d Gonzales said. \u201cI don\u2019t go around poking people in the chest. But if you poke me in the chest, you\u2019re gonna get both barrels.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But those who have supported Herrera say they are undeterred by Gonzales\u2019s threat. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTony Gonzales <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2023\/05\/08\/tony-gonzales-congress-republican-bridges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>was sanctioned by the Texas Republican Party<\/a> for being a sellout liberal,\u201d Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who has actively campaigned with Herrera, told the <em>Washington Examiner. <\/em>\u201cIf he\u2019s picking fights with conservatives who oppose him, he will be very busy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several other House Republicans have said they back Herrera, including Reps. Bob Good (R-VA), Ralph Norman (R-SC), and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EliCraneAZ\/status\/1782470057148227772\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Eli Crane<\/a> (R-AZ). Others, such as Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), said they are considering it. <\/p>\n<p>But Gonzales boasts a slew of high-profile endorsements as well, including from state officials such as Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Gonzales has also received the backing of high-profile celebrities, including actor Matthew McConaughey, who is from the Texas Republican\u2019s district.<\/p>\n<p>The intraparty tension comes even as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has repeatedly advised party members not to get involved with GOP primaries, urging instead to project a sense of unity ahead of the 2024 election. However, some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mccarthy-fights-to-shore-up-republican-support-ahead-of-speakership-vote\/\" title=\"McCarthy Fights to Shore Up Republican Support Ahead of Speakership Vote\">hard-line conservatives<\/a> have bucked those calls to endorse far-right candidates over some of their more moderate GOP colleagues. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>One such example is Republican candidate Adam Morgan, a state representative from South Carolina who is challenging Rep. William Timmons (R-SC) for his seat. At least seven Freedom Caucus members have endorsed Morgan in the race.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, some centrist Republicans are also looking to challenge their hard-right colleagues, including Good, who was elected as chairman of the Freedom Caucus in January. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/2930946\/freedom-caucus-rebel-bob-good-faces-own-ouster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Good faces a primary challenge<\/a> from John McGuire, whom several Republicans have joined on the campaign trail to boost his candidacy.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales from Texas is hinting at potential backlash against GOP House colleagues opposing his reelection. As he vies for a third term representing Texas&#8217; 23rd District, Gonzales is dealing with opposition from the right over his voting history, causing intra-party tension<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2640,"featured_media":2253642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP22341661070523-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2253641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP22341661070523-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2253641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2253641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2253641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2253642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2253641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2253641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2253641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}