Embattled Rep. Tony Gonzales was forced into a runoff against gun rights activist Brandon Herrera, setting up the second overtime round between the two opponents in two years after Gonzales faced heat during the early voting period over an alleged affair with an aide who later died after setting herself on fire.
The two are competing for the GOP nomination to advance to November’s general election, but neither reached the 50% threshold to win the Republican primary for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District outright.
Gonzales defeated Herrera in a 2024 runoff by only a few hundred votes.
This time, Gonzales was embroiled in controversy after allegations circulated about an affair between him and his former aide, Regina Santos-Aviles. The lead he established in early voting evaporated as election day returns rolled in Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Rumors of an affair between Santos-Aviles and Gonzales had swirled since the conservative outlet Current Revolt first reported on the staffer’s death in September. While Gonzales addressed the allegations at The Texas Tribune Festival in November, saying they were “completely untruthful,” the story drew renewed attention on Feb. 17, the eve of early voting, when the San Antonio Express-News reported that Santos-Aviles had acknowledged the affair in a text message.
Further texts later came to light — shared by Santos-Aviles’ widower — that showed Gonzales begging Santos-Aviles for a “sexy pic” and asking her to share her “favorite position,” despite Santos-Aviles’ refusal and assertion that Gonzales’ messages were “going too far.”
A growing number of House members called on Gonzales to resign in the week leading up to the primary election. The most vocal representatives came from the House’s most conservative bloc, many of whom already supported Herrera’s campaign.
Gonzales told CNN on Feb. 24 he wouldn’t resign from his term, which ends January 2027, saying what has been released is “not all the facts.”
The San Antonio representative was censured by the Texas GOP in 2023 for helping pass a bipartisan gun safety bill after the Uvalde school massacre, which happened in his district. The 23rd District covers a sprawling expanse of 27 counties from San Antonio to outside El Paso, encompassing most of the Texas-Mexico border.
Herrera, a YouTuber known online as “the AK Guy,” challenged Gonzales from the right in each of the last two primaries. He owns a small firearms manufacturing company in San Antonio and has pledged to block gun restrictions and impose strict border security policies. Gonzales ran on issues such as curbing inflation, border security, supporting law enforcement and access to mental health care.
Herrera has been admonished by the left and the right for his jokes about veteran suicide, which drew criticism from Mike Banks, now President Donald Trump’s Border Patrol chief, and mockery of Trump’s son, Barron Trump. The YouTuber also has made numerous Holocaust jokes and marched to Nazi music in one 2022 montage.
This election cycle, he’s raked in campaign fundraising by leveraging his presence online, where he has amassed 4.4 million subscribers on YouTube. He regularly garners millions of views on his videos talking about gun rights and delivering other conservative political commentary.
Through early February, the YouTuber had raised $2.3 million between his campaign and joint fundraising committee, allowing him to outspend Gonzales on ads down the homestretch — a rarity for a congressional challenger.
The primary runoff election will take place on May 26.
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