共和党众议员托尼·冈萨雷斯(Tony Gonzales)在周二备受瞩目的代表得克萨斯州选区的决选中以微弱优势击败了共和党对手，该选区包括乌瓦尔迪和伊格尔帕斯两个城市，他们之间只有数百张选票。
美联社计划冈萨雷斯将赢得德克萨斯州第23个国会选区的共和党初选。他的对手是布兰登·埃雷拉(Brandon Herrera)，一位活动家和互联网名人，在YouTube上经营着一个名为“AK Guy”的频道，播放埃雷拉测试和制造枪支的视频。
候选人之间的差距似乎很小。截至周三上午，根据得克萨斯州国务卿的非官方选举结果，冈萨雷斯以50.69%的得票率领先，约有1.5万张选票;其次是埃雷拉49.31%，14600票左右。(选民投票率相对较低，许多决胜选举也是如此。)
冈萨雷斯在放映前几小时宣布了胜利。
“美国的未来一如既往地光明。感谢#TX23继续信任我，”冈萨雷斯写于X周二晚上。
Herrera可能会要求重新计票，因为票数之差小于10%,这符合德州的重新计票规则。这一努力将由他自己承担费用，只有重新计票改变了结果，他才能拿回这笔钱。
在德克萨斯州3月5日举行的共和党初选中，冈萨雷斯仅获得45%的选票，结果发现自己陷入了如此狭窄的决胜选举。在德克萨斯州的地方或州选举中，如果没有候选人获得大多数选票(超过50%)，该州将举行决选。埃雷拉在3月份获得了大约25%的选票。
在随后的决胜选举中，温和倾向的共和党人冈萨雷斯和与党内更强硬派结盟的新人埃雷拉展开了对决。
冈萨雷斯于2020年首次当选共和党倾向的席位，自他投票支持共和党以来，他一直面临该州共和党和其他右翼人士的批评，包括得克萨斯州共和党两党合作的更安全社区法案枪支控制立法2022年，国会通过了乌瓦尔迪的罗布小学发生枪击事件.
冈萨雷斯对两党安全社区法案的投票受到了埃雷拉的攻击，他大力支持枪支所有权。
冈萨雷斯继续为他的记录辩护，包括在边境问题上，以及他在枪支管制立法上的温和态度，包括两党的《更安全社区法案》。周日在哥伦比亚广播公司的“面对全国”节目中被问到对于他是否认为投票最终导致了决选，冈萨雷斯说，“我参加决选是有原因的。部分原因是投票。而且，你知道吗，我当时就知道了。”
现任总统在竞选期间仍然得到了共和党建制派的大力支持，包括议长迈克·约翰逊、众议员伊利斯·斯特凡尼克、得克萨斯州州长格雷格·阿伯特和其他知名人士的支持全州和全国官员.
埃雷拉获得了一些共和党重要人物的支持，包括众议员马特·盖兹鲍勃很好。
根据过去一个周期(包括初选前后)的财务文件，冈萨雷斯在筹款方面比埃雷拉有很大优势，他从外部支出中获益更多，包括在电视广播和网络上投放广告的超级政治行动委员会OpenSecrets的分析.
埃雷拉将支持冈萨雷斯的巨额支出框定为他自己的势头和冈萨雷斯绝望的标志。
Rep. Tony Gonzales projected winner of closely watched Texas primary runoff
Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales narrowly defeated his GOP opponent in Tuesday's high-profile runoff race to represent Texas' district that includes the cities of Uvalde and Eagle Pass -- with only a few hundred votes between them.
The Associated Pressprojectedthat Gonzales will win the Republican primary runoff election for Texas' 23rd Congressional District. He faced off against Brandon Herrera, an activist and internet personality who runs a YouTube channel called "The AK Guy" that features videos of Herrera testing out and building guns.
There appears to be a razor-thin margin between the candidates. As of Wednesday morning, according to unofficial election results from the Texas Secretary of State, Gonzales leads with 50.69% of the vote, with around 15,000 votes; followed by Herrera with 49.31%, around 14,600 votes. (Voter turnout was relatively low, as it is for many runoffs in general.)
Gonzales declared victory hours before the projection.
"The future of America remains as bright as ever. Thank you #TX23 for continuing to place your faith in me," Gonzaleswrote on Xon Tuesday night.
It is possible that Herrera could request a recount, as the difference between the vote count is less than 10%,which aligns with Texas' recount rules. That endeavor would be at his own expense and he would only get the money back if the recount changed the result.
Gonzales found himself in such a narrow runoff after getting only 45% of the vote in Texas' March 5 Republican primary. In Texas local or state elections, the state holds runoff elections if no candidate gets a majority of the vote (over 50%). Herrera received about 25% of the vote in March.
The subsequent runoff pitted Gonzales, a moderate-leaning Republican, against Herrera, a newcomer aligned with the more hard-line wing of the party.
Gonzales, who was first elected to the Republican-leaning seat in 2020, has faced criticism from the state's Republican Party and from others on the right, including the Texas Republican Party, ever since he voted forthe Bipartisan Safer Communities Act gun control legislationin 2022, which Congress passed after theshooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Gonzales' vote on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was a subject of attacks from Herrera, who campaigned heavily on gun ownership rights.
Gonzales has continued to defend his record, including on the border, and his moderate tone on gun control legislation, including the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.Asked on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sundaywhether he thinks the vote eventually caused the runoff, Gonzales said, "I am in a runoff for a reason. Part of that was that vote. And, you know what, I knew it at the time."
The incumbent still received strong backing from the Republican establishment during his run, including endorsements from Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Elise Stefanik, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other well-knownstatewide and national officials.
Herrera had picked up support from some key Republican figures,including Reps. Matt Gaetzand Bob Good.
Gonzales had a very strong fundraising advantage over Herrera, and has benefited more than his opponent from outside spending, including from super PACs that placed ads on airwaves and online, according to financial filings from this past cycle (both before and after the initial primary) andan analysis by OpenSecrets.
Herrera framed the heavy spending supporting Gonzales as an indication of his own momentum and of Gonzales' desperation.
