Moderate Republican Tony Gonzales fails to clinch GOP nomination, forced into runoff

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Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of San Antonio failed to clinch his party’s nomination Tuesday and is headed for a primary runoff against gun rights advocate and social media influencer Brandon Herrera, according to the Associated Press. Gonzales' intraparty challenge came a year after the Republican Party of Texas censured the moderate congressman for breaking with the GOP in some votes.

That race is among some of the most-watched in this year’s congressional Republican primary contests.

Two congressional districts in North Texas drew particular attention because they are open seats since longtime incumbents are retiring.

State Rep. Craig Goldman and business owner John O’Shea were likely headed for a runoff in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Kay Granger in the 12th Congressional District, according to results compiled by the Associated Press. That district includes Fort Worth. Granger, currently the longest serving Texas Republican in Congress, is retiring.

Political neophyte Brandon Gill won in the crowded race to succeed U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess in the 26th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. That district includes several North Texas suburbs and Cooke County as it stretches to the Oklahoma border. Burgess is retiring after 11 terms.

The primary essentially foretells who will hold the respective seats after November — and possibly for decades. The 12th and 26th congressional districts are both reliably Republican, and the 23rd district Gonzales currently represents was redrawn to be increasingly favorable to the GOP. Under old political boundaries in which Gonzales first won in 2020, former President Donald Trump beat President Joe Biden by 1.7 percentage points. Within current lines that state lawmakers drew during redistricting, Trump would have beat Biden by 7.1 points.

The races to represent Texas in the U.S. House come amid a year of crowded primaries as members retire or seek other office.

The Republican and Democratic primary runoffs will be on May 28.

23rd Congressional District

This year’s primary is Gonzales’ first since he was censured by the Texas Republican Party for stances it said were insufficiently conservative. Members of the State Republican Executive Committee bemoaned his votes for bipartisan gun safety legislation, gay marriage legislation and opposition to ultraconservative firebrand Jim Jordan as U.S. House speaker.

Gonzales’ challengers said getting rid of him was as much of a motivator as representing the district. He was challenged by Julie Clark, the former Medina County GOP chair who launched the censure against Gonzales; Herrera, who had strong financial support from out of state; Victor Avila, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent close to members of the House Freedom Caucus; and retired Border Patrol agent Frank Lopez.

But Gonzales was armed with an enormous warchest, raising over $2.8 million ahead of the primary. No one else came close. Clark and Herrera both came shy of $1 million.

The district has also historically rewarded moderates and was a swing district before the 2022 cycle. U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, who was famous for his friendship with Beto O’Rourke and ran a centrist bid for president, represented the district before Gonzales.

12th Congressional District

Granger’s legacy loomed large in the 12th district. A former Fort Worth mayor, she has long been a fixture in the city and one of Cowtown’s biggest advocates in Washington. She was one of the most powerful members of the Texas Republican delegation as chair of the House Appropriations Committee. The committee determines funding levels for federal programs, and she used her perch to bring millions to Fort Worth’s defense industry.

It’s a legacy that Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said Goldman could continue.

Goldman has been the frontrunner in the race. He reported raising over $1.4 million before the primary and had the backing of the Fort Worth business community. He also proved his legislative experience in the state House, where he chairs the Texas House Republican Caucus.

Goldman is also a close ally of House Speaker Dade Phelan and has the endorsements of several major Fort Worth leaders, including Parker, former Gov. Rick Perry and every Republican state senator in the district.

But being close to Phelan also drew a target on Goldman’s back from Attorney General Ken Paxton, who vowed to come after state representatives who voted for his impeachment. Paxton backed his friend O’Shea, a Fort Worth business owner who was incensed with how the Texas House handled the impeachment.

O’Shea raised only a fraction of Goldman’s sums, reporting just over $266,000 before the primary.

26th Congressional District

Burgess’ reliably red seat is prime taking for any Republican candidate, who could likely hold on to the seat for as long as they like. Eleven candidates filed to run in the race.

Gill had been the frontrunner in fundraising and endorsements. He raised over $687,000 before the primary and has the backing of some of the biggest names in Republican politics, including Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz and a host of House Freedom Caucus members

But Gill’s weakness was his lack of experience in the district and in formal politics. His political experience was limited to running an overtly pro-Trump news website, The DC Enquirer, and helping with the production of “2000 Mules,” a documentary peddling the debunked conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. Gill’s father-in-law, Dinesh D’Souza, created the film.

He also moved to the district just months before Burgess announced his retirement. He previously lived in New York City where he worked on Wall Street. His greeness to both the district and politics were points of criticism from his opponents.

Scott Armey, meanwhile, is a long-time resident of the district. A former Denton County judge, Armey ran against Burgess in his first Republican primary in 2002. He is the son of former House Minority Leader Dick Armey, a leader in the “Republican Revolution” under former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Scott Armey tapped into that legacy, brandishing endorsements from his father and some old-time Texans in Congress. U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Waco, and former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm both endorsed Armey. Sessions cited the senior Armey’s influence on him when he first joined Congress in 1997, and trusted Scott Armey to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“There is no closer observer of a father than a son,” Sessions said in a statement announcing his endorsement.

But running on his father’s name was largely responsible for Scott Armey’s loss in 2002, despite being the obvious favorite of Washington Republicans. Burgess accused Scott Armey of nepotism and beat him in the runoff, even after Armey secured twice as many votes in the first round that year.

Southlake Mayor John Huffman, touted over 10 years in leadership positions in the city, including when the affluent city was thrust into the national spotlight over diversity and inclusion controversies in its public schools. As mayor, Huffman adamantly opposed DEI programs in public schools and raised money to replace members of the school board with far-right conservatives.

Huffman said he wanted to do the same to the federal government, cutting DEI initiatives that he views as wasteful.

Huffman had the support of local leaders, including U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Irving, and Perry. He raised over $387,000 before the primary.

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