Rep. Tony Gonzales got some much-needed help in his Republican runoff race against Brandon Herrera with the endorsement of Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
Abbott’s endorsement has paid off for candidates in recent elections, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton saw 11 incumbents in the Texas House unseated in March on the weight of their support.
“Tony Gonzales is a fierce champion for bolstering border security measures in Congress,” Abbott said in a message posted on X. “He represents more than two-thirds of the Texas-Mexico border and knows the dangerous consequences that President Joe Biden’s reckless open border policies have on our state — and our nation. I know Tony will continue the fight in our nation’s capital to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorists, reinstate the Remain in Mexico policies, and deport people who illegally enter our country.”
Gonzales (R-TX) is not popular with some Republicans in Congress, particularly in the wake of comments he made on CNN’s State of the Union.
“I serve with some real scumbags,” Gonzales said, as reported by the New York Post. “[Rep. Bob Good (R-VA)] endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi. These people used to walk around with white hoods at night, now they are walking around with white hoods in the daytime.”
Gonzales also took a shot at Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) by repeating an unfounded allegation that Gaetz paid minors for sex.
“I have no problem with [Johnson] campaigning alongside Turncoat [Gonzales],” Gaetz wrote on X. “But why is this gathering just for donors willing to fork over the $300k Tony bragged about?”
“Everyone should see them campaigning together,” the Florida Republican added. “The great Johnson/Gonzales duo for more Ukraine funding surely wants to explain to Texans how much debt their grandkids should assume to repatriate Crimea.”
The back and forth was not lost on primary challenger Herrera, who took the opportunity to attack Gonzales.
