San Antonio-area Rep. Tony Gonzales facing yet another primary challenge from the far right

A little more than a year after South Texas GOP Congressman Tony Gonzales successfully dodged a primary challenge from a pro-gun YouTube influencer, he faces a midterms challenge from another MAGA-aligned Republican.

Cotulla rancher Susan Storey Rubio kicked off her primary campaign Thursday with an online video accusing Gonzales of being a “bureaucrat” who “loves being a career politician” who’s sold out his 23rd District, which includes much of the U.S.-Mexico border along with a swath of the Alamo City.

“Tony Gonzales is a spineless moderate who didn’t do a thing to stand up to Joe Biden and the Democrats and hasn’t lifted a finger to help President Trump,” Storey Rubio drawls in the two-minute clip, which includes scenes of her working on her family’s ranch. “It’s time to round up the career politicians and deport them out of Washington, D.C.”

Amid a video montage of migrants crossing the Rio Grande, Storey Rubio also accused the two-term congressman of being soft on “criminal illegals,” whom she accused of damaging her ranch land and forcing her to carry a gun.

Gonzales, a U.S. Navy veteran and former member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, has faced intense pressure from the right flank of his own party over his votes in favor of gay marriage and the nation’s first major package of gun-control legislation in decades. He’s also butted heads with immigration hardliners such as U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a fellow Texas Republican.

Last cycle, Brandon Herrera, a pro-Second Amendment YouTube influencer with no political experience, came within 400 votes of taking the Republican nomination from Gonzales even though the incumbent spent roughly twice as much on his campaign.

Gonzales handily won reelection in the Republican-leaning district, pulling in 62% of the vote against Democratic challenger Santos Limon.

Storey Rubio is expected to pump $350,000 of her own cash into the March primary, the Texas Tribune reports, citing a person close to the campaign.

Another Republican, Zeke Enriquez, has also filed to run against Gonzales in 2026, according to the Tribune. Limon has also filed to run for the district’s Democratic nomination along with Peter White.

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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2025.