U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-San Antonio) fiercely criticized the right-wing members of his party who voted against providing billions in foreign aid to U.S. allies last week. Gonzales condemned his ultraconservative peers as “scumbags” and klansmen in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday. “These people used to walk around with white hoods at night. Now they’re walking around with white hoods in the daytime,” Gonzales stated. “It didn’t surprise me that some of these folks voted against aid to Israel.”
Gonzales, a rare centrist who faces a serious primary challenge from YouTube gun enthusiast Brandon Herrera, singled out two sitting Republicans by name who have backed his opponent. “It’s my absolute honor to be in Congress, but I serve with some real scumbags like [Florida Congressman] Matt Gaetz. He paid minors to have sex with them at drunk parties,” Gonzales said, before denouncing Rep. Bob Good for endorsing Herrera earlier this month, whom he called a “known neo-Nazi.”
Federal prosecutors declined to charge Gaetz after investigating allegations of sex trafficking, although the House Ethics Committee is continuing its probe. Gonzales’s remarks came in response to several Republican members voting against their party’s leadership on military and civilian aid packages for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan on Saturday. The hardline House Freedom Caucus insisted that Congress should not pass the bills, which would include over $90 billion in assistance to the U.S. allies, without first securing more aggressive measures on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Despite the opposition, the foreign aid packages passed the House with substantial bipartisan support. Gonzales has a history of clashing with the right wing of the House Republican conference. He has criticized hardline border proposals by U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Austin) as anti-American and un-Christian and was the only Republican to vote against a set of rules for the House negotiated between former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and hardline Republicans. Roy’s border bill eventually became the foundation for sweeping border security legislation passed by the House with full Republican support last year.
Gonzales’s attack on Good, who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, drew swift condemnation from the group’s members. U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R-Arizona) said on social media that it was “pathetic” to “insinuate that other members are klansmen.” Crane endorsed Herrera’s run in the same post. “It is not surprising that one of the most liberal RINOs in Congress, who has egregiously fought against real border security, and votes like a Democrat, would also resort to the Democrat playbook in screaming ‘racism’ against those exposing him,” Good said in a statement. “Thankfully, the good people of the Texas 23rd District have the opportunity to vote for change and an America First patriot, in Brandon Herrera.”
Herrera dismissed Gonzales’s comments as an act of desperation as he gains momentum. “This is the death spiral ladies and gentlemen,” Herrera said on social media. Gaetz denied Gonzales’s claims about him as “lies,” saying on social media that “one of the final phases a politician goes through prior to defeat.” Gaetz supported Herrera before the primary election, appearing at a campaign rally with him in San Antonio in March.
The Texas Republican Party censured Gonzales last year, citing his opposition to Roy’s border bill and the rules package, as well as his support for gun safety legislation after the Robb Elementary shooting in his district. The party also mentioned his backing for legislation protecting same-sex marriage. The censure invited a lively, five-way primary field, including Herrera and Julie Clark, the former Medina County GOP chair who initiated the censure motion.
Backed by an army of online fans donating small-dollar donations, Herrera secured a place against Gonzales in the runoff, which will be held on May 28. Historically, attacking a fellow Republican member, including endorsing a primary challenger, was unusual in the party. Gaetz’s support for Herrera was a provocative move, but the censure motion from the Texas GOP provided some cover for other Republicans to endorse Gonzales’s challengers.
Despite the pile ons from the right, Gonzales remains a competitive candidate with a strong fundraising operation. He raised more than twice as much as Herrera in the first quarter of the year and maintains solid relationships with Republican leadership, corporate interests, moderate Republican donors, and bipartisan interest groups. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which supports members of both parties to advance Israel-related issues, has consistently backed Gonzales. Gonzales has also indicated a willingness to consider more partisan priorities, including the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Gonzales assisted U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) in garnering support for her motion to impeach the secretary. The Democrat-controlled Senate voted to dismiss the impeachment.
