What to Watch in the Texas Runoff Elections

Representative Tony Gonzales is facing a challenge from a gun rights activist, and voters will decide which Republican will face Representative Henry Cuellar this fall.

Share full article

Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican who has bucked the party line on some issues, was first elected in 2020.

Texans are voting on Tuesday in runoff elections for a number of offices, with competitive primary races for two congressional seats and a tough fight playing out among Republicans for the seat held by the speaker of the State House.

All of Tuesday’s contests are happening because no candidate received a majority of the vote in the primaries in March.

Here’s what we’re keeping on tabs on:

U.S. House District 23

Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican who recently called some far-right members of his party “scumbags,” was forced into a runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist, after receiving only 45 percent of the primary vote. Mr. Herrera received about 25 percent in a five-person race.

Mr. Gonzales was first elected in 2020 to represent a swing district along the border, but the seat was made more solidly Republican through redistricting. And Mr. Gonzales has bucked the party line on some issues: He voted for bipartisan gun control legislation after the massacre at a school in Uvalde, Texas, and for a gay marriage bill. He also once opposed hard-line immigration policies, and the Texas Republican Party censured him — but he has since shifted toward them.

Mr. Herrera, a YouTuber who calls himself “the AK guy” after the assault rifle, is hoping to consolidate the votes that went to multiple right-wing candidates who opposed Mr. Gonzales in the first round. He has been endorsed by Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida and other members of the House Freedom Caucus, but House Republican leaders are backing Mr. Gonzales.

U.S. House District 28

In the 28th District, which stretches from the outskirts of San Antonio to the southern border, two Republicans are running for their party’s nomination to challenge Representative Henry Cuellar, a centrist Democrat who has been indicted on bribery charges.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.