A contentious battle between a prominent Texas Republican and a gun-rights YouTube star has some loyal allies of former President Donald Trump worried their election year fight could hand a key congressional seat to Democrats.
Rep. Tony Gonzales "is battling for his political life" in a primary runoff with Brandon "The AK Guy" Herrera, who has garnered support from far right Republicans who include Rep. Matt Gaetz and House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), according to a new Politico report.
In the first round of the primary, Gonzales captured 45 percent of the vote, to Herrera's 25 percent.
Gonzales, who represents a massive district spanning from San Antonio to El Paso, is hardly an outspoken gun control supporter.
However, following the devastating Uvalde elementary school shooting in his district, Gonzalez backed a bipartisan law to reform background checks, the first federal gun legislation to pass in 30 years. The Republican Party of Texas responded to this by censuring him.
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Gonzales, a Navy veteran, has also slammed some far-right members of his party, including Gaetz and Good, for obstructing defense aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel, comparing them to Klansmen.
Not all of the GOP, or even all of MAGA world, is on board with the effort to oust Gonzales.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), a close ally of Trump, has slammed the primary challenge.
“The reality is if Tony doesn’t win the primary, the Dems win the seat," Jackson reportedly said. "The guy that’s running against him could potentially win the primary, but he cannot win the general election. So, I think it’s a pretty clear choice. It should be for most people.”
Meanwhile, Hererra has enraged some Trump loyalists after a clip surfaced of him mocking Trump's youngest son Barron.
For his part, Gonzales has said of Hererra, “He’s never had a job before other than being a YouTuber. He’s used to saying a bunch of crazy things to get clicks. Herrera isn’t going to win, and he isn’t even trying to win.”
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