Republican Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales beat YouTube personality Brandon Herrera in the GOP primary for the state’s 23rd congressional district on Wednesday by a razor thin margin.
Gonzales won 50.7% of the vote, with Herrera collecting 49.3%, according to The New York Times. Herrera received notable endorsements from House Freedom Caucus members Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Eli Crane of Arizona and Matt Gaetz of Florida, while Gonzales was endorsed by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbot and House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana. (RELATED: Multiple Texas GOP Incumbents Lose Primaries As Voters Punish Opponents Of School Choice)
“The future of America remains as bright as ever. Thank you #TX23 for continuing to place your faith in me,” the Gonzales campaign wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Team Gonzales spent around 9 million
Team Herrera spent around 1 million
429 votes https://t.co/TNiIH50MA9
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) May 29, 2024
The Texas GOP censured Gonzales in 2023 for supporting gun restrictions following the Uvalde shooting. He was the only Texas GOP member who opposed Border Safety and Security Act, which would have affected a large portion of his border district. (RELATED: Law Enforcement Rejects Claim That Texas Shooter Was Previously Arrested)
Herrera, who is known online as ‘The AK Guy,” runs a YouTube channel that boasts 3.4 million subscribers and is focused around the Second Amendment, gun recreation and firearms reviews. He criticized Gonzales’ voting record on gun control.
“We looked down the biggest guns of the DC establishment to the tune of probably over $10 million, and told them they didn’t own us,” Herrera said in a post on X. “We made them fight for their lives.”
The 400 vote margin is narrow enough for Herrera to request a recount.
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