Hard-line House conservatives are backing his primary opponent after the moderate Republican called two of them “scumbags” on national television, sparking a heated debate between Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas ).
Gonzales kicked the hornet’s nest over the weekend when, during an interview on CNN, he went after Reps. Matt Gaetz ( R- Fla. ) and Bob Good ( R- Va. ) — , “it’s my absolute honor to be in Congress, but I serve with some real scumbags” — launching personal attacks on the conservative duo.
” Matt Gaetz, he paid adolescents to have intercourse with them at drug events. Bob Good endorsed my player, a known proto- Nazi”, Gonzales said on CNN’s” State of the Union” on Sunday. These people used to wear bright collars to the streets at night. Then they’re walking around with bright masks in the daytime”.
Gaetz, who has denied the allegation, and Great — , joined by another hard- liners — shot up at Gonzales, criticizing his voting record, slamming him as a” Republican in name just” and endorsing his primary opponent, Brandon Herrera, a social media influencer and self- proclaimed Second Amendment activist who has worked to plant himself to the right of Gonzales.
” It is not astonishing that one of the most progressive RINOs in Congress, who has outrageously fought real border security, and vote like a Democrat, may resort to the Dem playbook in screaming’ racism,'” Rep. Bob Good ( R- Va. ), the head of the House Freedom Caucus, said of Gonzales in a blog on the social system X. ” Thankfully, the people of the Texas 23rd District can vote for change and an America first patriot, in Brandon Herrera”.
Gaetz, who campaigned for Herrera in March and re- upped his support for him this week, gave Gonzales a new nickname Tuesday:” Turncoat Tony”.
The increased Republican infighting comes as the Texas ‘ 23rd Congressional District’s May 28 runoff draws near, with Gonzales and Herrera scheduled to square off against one another for the GOP nomination. Gonzales, who was first elected to Congress in 2020, beat Herrera by 20 percentage points in the March primary, but his 45.1 percent share fell short of the 50 percent needed to advance straight to the general election.
Gonzales, to be sure, is no stranger to acrimony within the GOP ranks. The Texas Republican Party overwhelmingly voted in favor of a bill passing the bipartisan gun safety bill after the school shooting in his district and his support for a measure protecting same-sex marriage on the federal level last year.
However, the current conflict is roiling as hard-line conservatives attempt to stymie the GOP agenda through procedural roadblocks and threaten to compel a vote on ousting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La. ) in a moment of increased tension and division among Republicans on Capitol Hill. — , all to the chagrin of moderates such as Gonzales.
Last week, Johnson put a package of foreign aid bills on the floor, a risky step in his Speakership that went against the wishes of his right flank, to put those dynamics on full display. Democrats were forced to intervene and help advance the legislation, a rare show of assistance from the minority party, as hard-line Republicans refused to do so in the Rules Committee and on the floor.
The move by Johnson prompted two more GOP lawmakers to get behind Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ( R- Ga. ) effort to oust the Speaker, though it remains unclear when — , or if — , the Georgia Republican plans to trigger a vote on her motion to vacate resolution.
Moderates, meanwhile, are not hiding their displeasure with the hard- line tactics.
” Members are tired. We’re exhausted. It has been a brutal Congress. But we’re also dug in”, Gonzales told CNN on Sunday. ” For some reason, these fringe people think as if they have the high ground. They do not”.
Conservatives, as a result, are now lining up against Gonzales and behind Herrera, upping the pressure on his reelection prospects and putting a spotlight on next month’s runoff race.
” This is such BS and so pathetic, especially from a fellow veteran. To insinuate that other members are klansmen because they call you out for being a complete and total Rhino”, Rep. Eli Crane ( R- Ariz. ) wrote on X , in response to Gonzales’s CNN comments. ” Was n’t one of our core values Honor @TonyGonzales4TX? Hey Brandon, add me to your list of endorsements. With guys like Tony, we will never be able to save the nation.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S. C. ) confirmed to The Hill that he would formally support Herrera once he has spoken with him.
The conservative offensive is both political and personal.
Gonzales personally stoked up the drama over the weekend by making remarks about Gaetz and Good, galvanizing hard-liners on Capitol Hill to defend their colleagues , and attempt to remove the person responsible for the attacks.
However, Gonzales has been politically at odds with the conservative agenda of the right flank for months, making him a prime target for hard-liners as they try to install more of their own members in the House GOP ranks.
Most recently, Gonzales voted for all four parts of Johnson’s foreign aid package — , including the Ukraine portion, even though it was not accompanied by strict border security measures, which Johnson had demanded until the eleventh hour. Border security was left on the cutting room floor, so a number of conservatives chose not to support any of the package’s four bills.
Prior to that, the Texas Republican voted against Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ( FISA ), which a group of hard-liners was strongly opposed to.
And last year, Gonzales criticized an early version of the GOP conference’s border bill as “unchristian”.
” I cannot tolerate what is happening to the people who I believe are standing up for this country.” To the people listening to this out there, just know: I’m not gonna back down. I’m gonna keep fighting for this country. The numbers are growing in D. C., but we’re not there yet, and the primary season matters”, Rep. Chip Roy ( R- Texas ) said on local Texas radio Tuesday.
The conservative assault on Gonzales has also emerged as a proxy conflict in Johnson’s wider conflict with his right flank. The Speaker and Gonzales made an appearance for a fundraiser on Tuesday, according to a source close to The Hill, as part of a previously scheduled swing through Texas, which conservatives are taking note of.
” To have the Speaker campaigning for Tony when Tony voted against the warrant requirement, when the Speaker voted against the warrant requirement, and when they both voted to support this atrocity this weekend,” Roy said. ” I am just beside myself that that’s where things are,” I said.
” Today Mike Johnson is campaigning for Tony Gonzales”, Gaetz wrote on X. ” What does this make you think about Tony Gonzales”?
