Texas GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales narrowly wins primary runoff

Texas Republican lawmaker Tony Gonzales on Tuesday night won his primary runoff against far-right challenger Brandon Herrera, according to the Associated Press. 

Gonzales failed to receive more than half the vote during his district's Republican primary in March, prompting the runoff with Herrera, who received the second highest amount of votes.

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

The victory comes after Gonzales was censured by the Texas Republican Party last year, over his support for gun control legislation that was introduced following the school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, two years ago. Uvalde is part of Gonzales's district.

The clash was unexpectedly tight after Herrera received support from some notable conservatives in Congress, including Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and other House Freedom Caucus members. But Gonzales has received the backing of House Speaker Mike Johnson, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, according to CBS News.

"There's a bigger battle happening outside this race, and it is what is the future of the Republican party going to look like?" Gonzales told CNN in March. "Is it going to be governing conservatives like myself, or is it going to be these bomb-throwing gestures that want to come up here and burn the place down?" 

Gonzales was first elected to Congress in 2020, taking the place of Republican Rep. Will Hurd, who decided not to run for reelection that year after narrowly defeating his Democratic challenger by a thousand votes in 2018. The district, which used to be considered a swing district, is expected to go to the Republican candidate in November, after redistricting following the 2020 election made the area more solidly red.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.