Gonzales Drops Out, Herrera Republican Nominee in Texas District 23

In Texas District 23 for the House of Representatives, Tony Gonzales has dropped out of the race at the request of House Republican leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders called on Tony Gonzales to step aside from his current campaign.

In a joint statement, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and Conference Chair Lisa McClain said they have urged Gonzales to step aside from the race while the investigation proceeds.

The investigation into ethics complaints against Representative Gonzales began after Brandon Herrera received 43.3% of the vote in the Republican primary election, while Gonzales received 41.7%. Then Gonzalez essentially confirmed an affair with a staffer who later committed suicide, on the Joe Pags Show. The allegations of the affair had mired Gonzales’ campaign in controversy.  On March 5, 2026, Gonzales issued a statement on X, saying he would not seek re-election. From X.com:

After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district. Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.

Brandon Herrera posted on X, thanking Tony Gonzales for dropping out of the race. From X.com:

 I appreciate Tony Gonzales for making the appropriate decision.

I appreciate Tony Gonzales for making the appropriate decision.

I look forward to being the voice of TX23 that our district deserves. From the border, to oil theft, water rights, data centers, and many other issues.

It’s an honor to be chosen and together we will make Texas… https://t.co/oJMXtmwHSq

— Brandon Herrera (@TheAKGuy) March 6, 2026

Texas District 23 covers a large chunk of west Texas. It is one of the largest congressional districts in the United States. It is a mostly rural district, running up to the edge of El Paso in the west, Odessa in the east, and San Antonio in the southeast.

In 2024, the district voted Republican, 180,720 votes to 109,373 for Democrats. Because Herrera will not have to campaign in a runoff primary, he can conserve his resources to campaign against the Democratic challenger.

The odds have shifted strongly in favor of Herrera becoming the next congressional representative from Texas District 23.

With Gonzales dropping out of the race, it is likely the Democratic Party will allocate significant funding to flip the seat. It is difficult to do in a district that has a strong conservative majority.

Brandon Herrera has shown he can run a good primary campaign. Now he has to run a campaign in the general election. He has a good start in funding the campaign. The actions of Speaker Johnson and the leadership make it likely that he will have an endorsement from President Trump and obtain some campaign funds from the Republican Party.

The Democratic opposition has tried to paint Herrera as a fringe candidate. Such attacks are not as effective as they once were because the media landscape is far more fractured and partisan than it used to be. In the past, Progressive candidates, both Republican and Democratic, could rely on the old, dominant progressive media to set the narrative and decide what constituted a scandal and what did not.

Apparently, it needs to be said again. People in the Jewish world have messaged me and asked me about my relationship with @TheAKGuy.

Here is why I support and continue to defend him.

I have known Brandon for nearly nine years. In those nine years, he has:

1. Wrote me a blurb…

— Yehuda Remer (@ThePewPewJew) March 8, 2026

“Scandals” for conservatives had a low threshold. Scandals for progressives tended to be swept under the rug. That dynamic is no longer dominant.

About Dean Weingarten:

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.