テキサス州共和党の下院議員Tony Gonzales氏（R-Texas）は、テキサス州第23下院選挙区での再選出馬を断念した。不倫スキャンダルと共和党指導者からの圧力の高まりを受け、銃権利擁護のインフルエンサーで銃器メーカーのBrandon Herrera氏との5月26日の共和党決選投票から撤退した。Gonzales氏の撤退により、広大で国境地帯中心の同選挙区の共和党候補がHerrera氏となる見通しだ。
下院議員Tony Gonzales氏は木曜日、再選のためのキャンペーンを継続しないと述べた。この決定は、火曜日の共和党予備選で過半数を獲得できず、元スタッフとの不倫を認め、その後自殺したことに関連する精査が激化していた後のものだ。
X上の議論では、Rep. Tony Gonzales氏が不倫スキャンダルで撤退した後、Brandon Herrera氏がテキサス州第23区のGOP候補となったことを祝賀しており、銃擁護派は2A権利の勝利だと称賛している。批評家と民主党は、Herrera氏の論争的な過去、特にナチス時代コンテンツとの関連を挙げ、同選挙区の転覆に楽観を示している。
PKA reacts to Brandon Herrera winning against Tony Gonzales after he dropped out over cheating scandal
— PKA Podcast Clips (@PKAClips) 2026年3月7日
"I was watching CNN this morning at like 4 AM and they're like 'Texas-23rd heating up with guntuber Brandon Herrera'... and it's like there's Brandon on CNN, that's awesome" pic.twitter.com/diIZgg8irx
After Rep. Tony Gonzales admitted to having an affair with his staffer who later committed suicide, he dropped out of his reelection race making Brandon Herrera the winner of the GOP Primary for Texas’s 23rd Congressional District! pic.twitter.com/qPFkuMoSLt
— John K. Amanchukwu Sr. (@REVWUTRUTH) 2026年3月7日
Sex Scandal & ‘Mein Kampf’ Give Dems Hope in W Texas Race
— Anna Núñez (@nunez_anna) 2026年3月7日
Challenger, Brandon Herrera, shooting Nazi-era weapons & discussing his copy of “Mein Kampf” circulating widely among Dems. Suddenly Tony Gonzales’ district — solidly red TX-23 — could flip#TXSENhttps://t.co/IxNBsr0vQM
Brandon Herrera, a controversial pro-gun activist, became the new GOP leader in Texas following Tony Gonzales’s resignation due to a personal scandal. 🔫
— unumihai Media (@unumihaimedia) 2026年3月7日
Democrats are seizing the opportunity, leveraging Herrera’s past to gain traction, especially among Latino voters. 📈 pic.twitter.com/YGrPqttDUL
AIによるレポート AIによって生成された画像
In Texas Republican primaries on March 4, 2026, four-term Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost to challenger Steve Toth, while Rep. Tony Gonzales advanced to a May 26 runoff against gun influencer Brandon Herrera. Gonzales faces a new House ethics investigation over alleged sexual misconduct with a former staffer, highlighting GOP internal tensions.
Republican Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales publicly admitted on Wednesday to an affair with his former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who died by suicide last September. The admission comes as he advances to a May runoff in the GOP primary for his district, while facing calls from party leaders to end his re-election bid and a new House Ethics Committee investigation. Gonzales has taken responsibility but claims more details will emerge.
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Pro-Israel and Jewish Republican groups that previously opposed Brandon Herrera are sitting out his bid for Texas' 23rd congressional district. Herrera, a YouTuber and gun shop owner criticized for past videos, has gained endorsements from Trump and GOP leaders after his 2024 opponent dropped out. The groups cite his history but decline to back the Democratic nominee.
Democratic congressional candidate Bobby Pulido, a Latin Grammy-winning Tejano singer running in Texas’ 15th District, has drawn renewed attention for a 2018 onstage performance with Mexican star Julión Álvarez, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2017 under the Kingpin Act before being removed from the list in 2022.
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Democratic candidates have frequently run ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 margins in recent special elections held after President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025, according to analyses tracking results across states and districts. Republicans and some analysts caution that special elections are often low-turnout contests that do not always predict general-election outcomes.
Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL endorsed by President Donald Trump, defeated seven-term Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District Republican primary on Tuesday. The Associated Press called the race for Gallrein, marking a significant victory for the president in his efforts to oust perceived critics within the party.