Greg Abbott Has Jumped Into the Messy Tony Gonzales Race

The Texas Republican Party is trying to oust an incumbent congressman. The Texas governor wants to save him.

Greg Abbott

Gov. Greg Abbott called Rep. Tony Gonzales “a fierce champion for bolstering border security measures in Congress.”
Eric Gay/AP

Fresh off calling some of his party colleagues “scumbags,” Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales received a key endorsement for reelection this week from his state’s governor, Greg Abbott. The response from Texas Republicans has been bafflement — or silence.

The Texas GOP, which censured Gonzales in 2023 and has used party resources to boost his opponent, declined to comment on the governor’s endorsement. The Republican chairs of the seven largest counties in the 23rd Congressional District did not respond to requests for comment on the endorsement.

The endorsement, which was announced Wednesday, came as something of a surprise given the animosity some Texas Republicans hold toward Gonzales, who is facing gun YouTuber Brandon Herrera in a May 28 runoff. That animosity only grew when Gonzales bashed some of his colleagues on Sunday, including likening them to klansmen.