Incumbent Gonzales narrowly defeats ‘AK Guy’ in Texas District 23 Republican runoff

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales won victory by fewer than 500 votes over social media influencer Brandon “AK Guy” Herrera in Tuesday’s GOP runoff to represent Texas’ 23rd Congressional District.

Gonzales, a two-term congressman whose district includes part of San Antonio, finished the night with 50.7% of the vote compared to Herrera’s 49.3% in a nail biter the Associated Press didn’t call until after midnight.

Herrera, a far-right political novice who reviews guns on YouTube, performed better than expected during the March 5 Republican primary, garnering nearly a quarter of the vote and sending the race into a runoff. Gonzales fell short of 50% in the contest.

Gonzales came under fire from the increasingly extreme Texas GOP, which censured him last year for staking out centrist positions, including voting in favor of bipartisan gun legislation and backing a measure supporting same-sex marriage.

Although Herrera secured endorsements from far-right politicos including U.S. Reps. Chip Roy and Matt Gaetz, his campaign was marred by controversy, often stemming from comments he made in his YouTube clips.

Herrera’s jokes about veteran suicides and the Holocaust, not to mention his dismissive remarks about the Robb Elementary School shooting — which took place in the district he hoped to represent — left Gonzales and his backers no shortage of ammo to use against his rival.

Gonzales also received help from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, both of whom endorsed him. The congressman also significantly outraised Herrera, who mostly relied on small dollar donations, a chunk of which reportedly came from out of state.

“The future of America remains as bright as ever,” Gonzales’ campaign account posted on social media platform X late in response to the victory. “Thank you #TX23 for continuing to place your faith in me.”

Shortly before the polls closed, Herrera’s camp tweeted out thanks to his supporters, regardless of the election outcome.

“We did an amazing thing,” Herrera said. “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. We made them fight for their lives.”

Gonzales will take on Democrat challenger Santos Limon, a civil engineer and small-business owner, in the November general election.

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This article appears in May 1-14, 2024.