John,
In yesterday’s primary runoffs in our home state, no race was more closely watched than TX-23, where No Labels’ friend Rep. Tony Gonzales was facing a challenge from far-right provocateur Brandon Herrera. America’s commonsense majority should be overjoyed that Gonzales prevailed.
The race attracted national attention because it embodied the kind of divide in our politics that’s become so apparent.
On one side, you have Rep. Gonzales, an incumbent who has shown the courage to work with people on both sides of the aisle to solve problems like the border security crisis, earning himself a censure from the Texas GOP for his principled stand. In the wake of the horrific mass shooting in Uvalde, he came out strongly in support of stronger gun safety measures over the objections of the far right of his party.
On the other, Herrera, AKA “AKGuy,” who labels himself as an “entrepreneur, Second Amendment activist, and social media personality” – one who had been endorsed by folks like Rep. Matt Gaetz.
With the results in, Rep. Gonzales secured a narrow but clear victory over Herrera. In a district that skews Republican, he will likely get another two years to serve in Congress as a proud member of the Problem Solvers Caucus. At a time where extreme voices on the far left and far right are trying to run roughshod over the rest of us, it’s encouraging to see voters reward a leader with the grit and determination to build bridges instead of burning them.
That’s something every commonsense Texan should celebrate.
No Labels Texas
