GOP Rep. Gonzales ending reelection bid after admitting to affair with late staffer

[hamsterjill]

Source: CNN

GOP Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales said he is ending his reelection bid after admitting to an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide.

“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” he wrote in a statement post on X.

Six years ago, Gonzales, a Navy veteran, pulled off an upset in a battleground House seat — with the help of then-campaign chief Tom Emmer.

But in a fiery and emotional phone call on Thursday, Emmer, now the No. 3 House Republican, delivered what he considered the hard truth after Gonzales acknowledged an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide. He urged Gonzales to drop his reelection bid, arguing that he had lied to Emmer himself and the public.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/05/politics/tony-gonzales-affair-staffer-johnson-runoff

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

1. Steam - "Na na hey hey kiss him goodbye"

&list=RDQaG2Acg8n60&start_radio=1

[RandySF]

2. The creep will be replaced by a gun maniac.

[hamsterjill]

3. In Texas, if it's a Republican.

They are ALL gun maniacs!

This one, however, was a special kinda gross. Gonzales needed to go.

[Skittles]

8. ?

gun humping cowards are a dime a dozen in Texas

[RandySF]

9. Herrera is a new level of nuts.

[RockRaven]

4. He was supposed to go to a run-off against the GrOPer who lost to him in the primary in '24.

Last edited Fri Mar 6, 2026, 02:05 AM - Edit history (1)

Because no candidate in the '26 primary which just happened got above 50% in the field of four GrOPers.

I don't know how it works now. Will they still hold the runoff election between those two (Gonzales and Herrera) even though Gonzales is "suspending" his campaign? Or can they hand it to Herrera without a runoff? Or will they hold a runoff between Herrera and third place person?

BTW, Herrera is a gun nut, runs a gun business called "The AK Guy" and a YouTube channel about guns.

[LeftInTX]

10. No runoff, if Tony hurries up and withdraws.

This happened with another congressman in 2022. I checked and there was no runoff in that race.
So, we're stuck with AK Guy (ugh)

[dweller]

5. Keep up the pressure

So he has to drop out now .
Mikey the Rat losing his majority would be sweet



✌🏻

[AZ8theist]

6. Good riddance you vile piece of GARBAGE

[Skittles]

7. family values

these GOP hypocrite freaks routinely judge the morals of others

[sinkingfeeling]

11. Bye bye.

[FakeNoose]

12. A "real" man would have resigned immediately but ...

[Clouds Passing]

13. About time.

[travelingthrulife]

14. One less monster. Fox News now?

[hamsterjill]

15. Or The Heritage Foundation.

They'll both probably be salivating over him.

[purr-rat beauty]

16. Hopefully...massive civil charges coming

He's an accessory to her suicide

Let's hope more comes out and he gets nailed

[LetMyPeopleVote]

17. Republican under fire over 'Mein Kampf' podcast admission

I was shocked that Gonzales got more votes in the primary. Gonzales is an asshole who drove a member of his staff to suicide but he may be better than this asshole/nazi

The Republican Jewish Coalition is blasting MAGA-aligned Texas congressional candidate Brandon Herrera after resurfaced podcast comments in which he discussed owning a copy of Adolf Hitler's manifesto "Mein Kampf.

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-03-07T04:00:15Z

https://www.rawstory.com/brandon-herrera

The Republican Jewish Coalition is blasting MAGA-aligned Texas congressional candidate Brandon Herrera after resurfaced podcast comments in which he discussed owning a copy of Adolf Hitler’s manifesto "Mein Kampf."

Herrera, a gun rights YouTuber who is now the de facto Republican nominee in Texas’ 23rd congressional district, made the remarks during a 2024 appearance on the “Unsubscribe Podcast” – after his first failed run for the same House seat, according to Jewish Insider.

During the episode, another guest produced a copy of Hitler’s memoir, which prompted Herrera to reveal he also owned a copy and pulled out his phone to show a photo, the publication reported Friday......

But the comments drew a fresh rebuke Friday from the Republican Jewish Coalition.

“The RJC has a longstanding policy of speaking out against those who traffic in Nazi ideology, and this is another case,” spokesperson Sam Markstein said in a statement. “The RJC opposed Mr. Herrera in 2024, and he will not get our support now.”

Herrera’s path to the nomination in the massive border district was cleared when Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who admitted to an affair with a staffer who died in a gruesome suicide last year, announced Thursday he would drop out of the runoff.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. This asshole has converted a Tesla Cybertruck into an attack vechicle

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

19. Gonzales is out in Texas, and Dems see a chance to beat 'The AKGuy'

Brandon Herrera’s controversial online presence and hardline politics could open another opportunity for House Democrats in a deep-red district.

Gonzales is out in Texas, and Dems see a chance to beat ‘The AKGuy’

— Politico (@politico.com) 2026-03-07T15:04:43Z

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/07/gonzales-is-out-in-texas-and-dems-see-a-chance-to-beat-the-akguy-00817739

Democrats see a new opportunity brewing deep in the heart of Texas, where Republicans solving one problem may have inadvertently created a new one.

Rep. Tony Gonzales’ decision to drop his reelection bid over an infidelity scandal has elevated Brandon Herrera, a controversial social media figure known by his handle “TheAKGuy,” to the Republican nomination for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District......

The biggest reason the race might become competitive is Herrera himself. The YouTuber, gun manufacturer and Second Amendment activist has millions of online followers — and a track record of off-color, edgelord jokes that are ripe fodder for campaign ads. Herrera has come under fire for a long history of posting Nazi imagery and his involvement in a group called Sons of Confederate Veterans. Jokes like his line “I often think about putting a gun in my mouth. So, I’m basically an honorary veteran” were a flashpoint for criticism in his 2024 primary against Gonzales......

Democrats argue Herrera has his own baggage that may be hard to overcome as well.

“Maybe I’m just an old-fashioned East Texas farm kid, but I tend to be anti-Nazi, and I have a feeling that people on the western side of the state feel a similar way,” said Kendall Scudder, chair of the Texas Democratic Party.

“So, you know, go ahead and nominate the adulterer, sexual predator, or nominate the actual Nazi. Regardless, we outvoted them, and we’re going to do it again in November,” he added, citing Tuesday’s strong Democratic turn out in primaries up and down the ballot.

[ck4829]

20. Republican family values