Texas Governor Greg Abbott has endorsed Representative Tony Gonzales in his bid for a third term, praising his efforts to secure the border. The move comes amid a feud within the Republican Party, with Gonzales facing criticism from more conservative members over his comments about Matt Gaetz and Bob Good.
Abbott, in a statement, lauded Gonzales for his commitment to border security, stating that he “represents more than two-thirds of the Texas-Mexico border and knows the dangerous consequences that President Biden’s reckless open border policies have on our state—and our nation.”
“I know Tony will continue the fight in our nation’s capital to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorists, re-instate the Remain in Mexico policies, and deport people who illegally enter our country,” Abbott said.
Gonzales is set to face Brandon Herrera, a social media influencer and self-proclaimed Second Amendment activist, in the Texas’s 23rd Congressional District runoff election in May. Gonzales, who was first elected to Congress in 2020, beat Herrera by 20 percentage points in the March primary but fell short of the 50 percent needed to advance directly to the general election.
However, Abbott’s backing comes after Gonzales, one of the centrist members of the Republican Party, took aim at Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz and Virginia Republican Representative Bob Good on Sunday. In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” Gonzales referred to his more conservative peers as “scumbags” and klansmen.
“It’s my absolute honor to be in Congress, but I serve with some real scumbags like Matt Gaetz. He paid minors to have sex with them at drunk parties,” Gonzales said, before calling out Good for endorsing Herrera, whom he called a “known neo-Nazi. “These people used to walk around with white hoods at night. Now they’re walking around with white hoods in the daytime.”
Newsweek has reached out to Abbott and Gonzales via email for comment.
Gaetz, who has denied the allegation, and Good fired back at Gonzales, criticizing his voting record, slamming him as a “Republican in name only” and endorsed Herrera.
“It is not surprising that one of the most liberal RINOs in Congress, who has egregiously fought real border security, and votes like a Democrat, would resort to the Dem playbook in screaming ‘racism.’ Thankfully, the people of the Texas 23rd District can vote for change and an America first patriot, in Brandon Herrera,” Good said of Gonzales in a post on Truth Social, formerly known as Parler.
In response to Abbott’s endorsement of Gonzales, in a statement emailed to Newsweek, a Gaetz adviser pointed toward Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as someone whose endorsement record is more aligned with what the Florida congressman likes to see in candidates.
“Gaetz likes the record of Paxton candidates versus Abbott candidates,” the adviser said. “The AG has been very helpful behind the scenes for Brandon Herrera.”
Tension among the GOP representatives comes as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Louisiana Republican, is facing mounting criticism from hardline House conservatives as he pushed forward a bill to provide supplemental aid to Ukraine as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues. They said the funds should instead be spent to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
While Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, last month introduced a motion to vacate against Johnson—it was unprivileged, meaning it did not automatically compel a vote—she is not the only one ramping up criticism against the speaker.
Gaetz has become increasingly critical of Johnson in recent days but has not gone as far as to support the motion to vacate. In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Gaetz wrote: “Today Mike Johnson is campaigning for Tony Gonzales. What does this make you think about Tony Gonzales?”
In response to the recent calls to vacate, Johnson warned about what the move would mean for Congress.
“I don’t think that would be helpful to us from a political standpoint for the Republican Party to continue to govern, maintain and keep our majority in November,” he said. “I think that would have been a great hindrance to it. And so, that wouldn’t be helpful. Nor does a motion to vacate help us in that regard, either. It would be chaos in the House.”
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