SAN ANTONIO – U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales is facing four challengers in the Republican Primary for US House District 23 in Texas.
Gonzales has served as a congressman for the district, which stretches along the border from El Paso to San Antonio, since he was elected in 2020.
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The Republican congressman, a Navy veteran from San Antonio, was censured by his own party in 2023 over positions he took that split with the party.
Among them includes a vote to reject a border security proposal by fellow Texas Republican Chip Roy, and the support of a bill defending same-sex marriage protections and a bipartisan gun law passed in response to the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde.
His opponents include Julie Clark, a businesswoman who chaired the Medina County Republican Party when it introduced the resolution to censure Gonzales.
After the censure, Gonzales got support from the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm for House Republicans.
Other challengers include Victor Avila, a retired ICE special agent, Francisco Lopez, a retired US Border Patrol agent, and Brandon Herrera, who describes himself as a social media personality and Second Amendment activist.
Many of the opponents have criticized Gonzales’ handling of the border crisis.
The winner of the Republican primary will have a Democratic challenger in the November General Election.
Lee Bausinger, a Navy veteran and professional engineer, and Santos Limon, a civil engineer and small business owner are running for the Democratic primary nomination.