(Associated Press) — Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Texas on Tuesday. The Navy veteran was elected to his third term in the border district, where he has clashed with members of his own party who cast him as too moderate. Gonzales was censured by the state party in 2023 over his support for same-sex marriage protections at the federal level and a bipartisan gun safety bill following the Uvalde mass shooting. Gonzales also clashed with fellow Republicans in opposing hard-line immigration proposals. Gonzales serves on the House Appropriations Committee. The Associated Press declared Gonzales the winner at 10:24 p.m. EST.
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EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales picked up a commanding lead from early voting in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District.
Gonzales leads Democratic challenger Santos Limon with 62% of the early vote in a district that spans from El Paso to San Antonio and has the longest stretch of border with Mexico in the U.S. The early returns do not include figures for counties in West Texas in the Mountain Time Zone.
Gonzales’ district includes Far East Paso County and a large portion of Fort Bliss.
Political analysts predicted that Gonzales’ seat in the House was safe.
Gonzales faced a tougher challenge in the Republican primary when he was forced into a runoff with Brian Herrera, a 2nd Amendment activist and social media influencer who goes by “The A-K Guy” on YouTube. Gonzales survived the runoff with a little 50 percent of the vote.
