The fight between Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and the right-wing of the GOP is getting more intense, with extreme House conservatives supporting his primary opponent after the moderate Republican called two of them “scumbags” on national TV.
Over the weekend, Gonzales stirred up trouble when he attacked Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Bob Good (R-Va.) in an interview on CNN, calling them “scumbags” and launching personal insults against the conservative duo.
Gonzales accused Matt Gaetz of paying minors for sex at drug parties and Bob Good of endorsing a known neo-Nazi on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday. He also accused them of walking around with white hoods.
Gaetz and Good fought back by criticizing Gonzales' voting record, labeling him as a “Republican in name only”, and endorsing his primary opponent, Brandon Herrera, a social media influencer and self-proclaimed Second Amendment activist.
“As one of the most liberal RINOs in Congress, who has fought against real border security and voted like a Democrat, Gonzales resorted to the Democrats' playbook by screaming ‘racism’,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. said of Gonzales on 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 on Tuesday: “Turncoat Tony.” gave The increasing infighting among Republicans is happening as the May 28 runoff in Texas’ 23rd Congressional district approaches, with Gonzales and Herrera competing for the GOP nomination. Gonzales won the March primary against Herrera by 20 percentage points.
However, his 45.1 percent share fell short of the 50 percent needed to advance straight to the general election. Gonzales has faced acrimony within the GOP ranks before. Last year, the Texas Republican Party voted to censure himover his support for a measure protecting same-sex marriage on the federal level, and for the bipartisan gun safety bill that moved through Congress after the fatal school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which is located in his district.
But the current arguing is happening at a time of increased tension and division among Republicans in Congress, as hardline conservatives try to stymie the GOP agenda and threaten to force a vote on ousting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) — much to the dismay of moderates like Gonzales. A package of foreign aid bills was put on the floor by Johnson despite resistance from hardline Republicans, forcing Democrats to assist in advancing the legislation forward — a rare show of assistance from the minority party. Johnson's action caused two more GOP lawmakers to support Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's attempt to remove the Speaker, but it's unclear when or if the Georgia Republican will push for a vote on her motion to vacate resolution.
Meanwhile, moderates are openly showing their dissatisfaction with the tough tactics.
Gonzales expressed to CNN on Sunday that members are exhausted and fed up after a difficult Congress, and that the fringe group's belief that they have the upper hand is misguided.
As a result, conservatives are now siding with Herrera against Gonzales, increasing the pressure on his re-election and drawing attention to next month's runoff race.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) condemned Gonzales' comments on CNN, expressing that it was unfair for him to imply that other members are like klansmen just for criticizing him, and he criticized Gonzales for going against their shared core values.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) informed The Hill that he intends to officially endorse Herrera after speaking with him.
The conservative push is both personal and political.
On a personal level, Gonzales heightened tensions with his comments about Gaetz and Good, prompting hardliners on Capitol Hill to defend their colleagues and attempt to remove the person responsible for the attacks. wrote on X Politically, Gonzales has been at odds with the conservative agenda for months, making him a primary target for hardliners seeking to increase their influence within the House GOP.
Most recently, Gonzales supported all four parts of Johnson's foreign aid package, including the Ukraine portion, despite the absence of strict border security measures that Johnson had demanded until the last minute. Many conservatives opposed each of the four bills because they lacked border security measures.
Prior to that, the Texas Republican voted against an amendment to add a warrant requirement to the U.S.'s surveillance powers under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a move strongly favored by a group of hardliners.
In addition, Gonzales criticized an early version of the GOP conference's border bill as "unchristian" last year.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) stated on a local Texas radio show that he won't back down and will continue to fight for the country because he cannot stand what's happening to those he believes are standing up for the country.
The conservative attack on Gonzales has also become a battleground in the larger conflict between Johnson and his right wing. The Speaker was reported to have appeared with Gonzales at a fundraiser on Tuesday as part of a pre-planned visit to Texas, a move that is being closely observed by conservatives.
Roy expressed disbelief that the Speaker and Tony were both campaigning in San Antonio, despite voting against the warrant requirement and funding the atrocity.
“Today Mike Johnson is campaigning for Tony Gonzales,” Gaetz
. “What does this make you think about Tony Gonzales?”
The battle between Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and the GOP’s right flank is intensifying, as conservative House members support his primary opponent following Gonzales’ derogatory remarks on national television.
“To have the Speaker be in San Antonio campaigning for Tony, when Tony voted against the warrant requirement, when the Speaker voted against the warrant requirement, when we had them both voting to fund this atrocity this last weekend,” Roy said. “I am just beside myself that that’s where things are.”
“Today Mike Johnson is campaigning for Tony Gonzales,” Gaetz wrote on X. “What does this make you think about Tony Gonzales?”
