Texas runoff tests prominent Republicans midway through primary season
The 2024 primary season is roughly halfway through and there have been few surprises so far. Only one member of the U.S.
House of Representatives has been defeated, and incumbents are mostly holding out in state Capitols.
However, the upcoming elections in Texas on Tuesday are important for two prominent Republicans: U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, who has clashed with his party on gun control and border issues, and House Speaker, Dade Phelan, who upset the party’s far-right faction by supporting the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
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The battles to maintain positions highlight the dangers of dissent within the Republican Party, forcing both parties to fight hard in contentious and costly races.
Gonzales supporters warn his defeat could give Democrats an opportunity to take control of a traditionally moderate district in November, while a change in leadership in the Texas House of Representatives could push state politics even further to the right.
“You have to be a fighter,” said Bill Miller, a veteran Texas Republican strategist. “It’s expected. If you don’t want that, you’re an outcast.”
Other runoffs in Texas are also getting attention.
Katrina Pierson, former spokesperson for Donald Trump, is running for a seat in the House of Representatives near Dallas.
Republican voters are also choosing a challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who was recently indicted on conspiracy and corruption charges. Cuellar maintains his innocence.
So far this year, only one member of the House of Representatives has been defeated in the primary: Republican Rep. Jerry Carl of Alabama, who lost to another incumbent delegate, Rep. Barry Moore, after the he state redrew its congressional districts.
Gonzales, who received 45% of the vote against five challengers in March, faces Brandon Herrera, a gun rights YouTube personality known as “The AK Guy,” in the district that was the site of the shooting from the Uvalde school in 2022.
“The Texas state party has moved very far to the right, even further than the Washington Republicans,” said Brian Smith, a political science professor at St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas.
He described the internal conflict within the Republican Party of Texas as “a battle for the soul of the party.”
Although he was criticized by the state party last year for supporting protections for same-sex marriage and a bipartisan gun safety bill after the Uvalde massacre, Gonzales enjoys support from prominent key figures like Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson.
“My voting record on the Constitution is very good,” Gonzales, a 20-year Navy veteran, said in April.” I took an oath to the Constitution at the age of 18. And I never stopped doing that. … We can protect the Constitution and we can protect our children. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.
Herrera mocked Gonzales on social media, calling his campaign “desperate.”
“Funny how three months ago I was ‘just a YouTuber’ and ‘not a serious candidate,” Herrera posted on X, noting that Johnson attended a fundraiser for Gonzales.
“If your enemies are circling the wagons, it’s usually not a sign that they’re winning.”
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