In 23rd district, Gonzales the clear GOP choice
We again recommend U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales in the Republican primary for the 23rd Congressional District. He's been an effective representative who has shown independence.
On the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, Gonzales, a Navy veteran, helped barricade the House chamber's doors against a mob. Later that month, he voted for establishing the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.
Gonzales faces four primary challengers, including retired Border Patrol Agent Frank Lopez Jr. and Victor Avila, who retired as a supervisory special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They both told us they would have voted against establishing the committee, and Lopez, in particular, downplayed the insurrection.
These challengers reflect the ideological high wire Gonzales must walk in the Republican Party. Gonzales is a conservative, but he is not an ideologue. He can be blustery in interviews and social media posts, but he is a pragmatist who seeks solutions and represents the needs of this border district, which stretches from San Antonio to the outskirts of El Paso.
Last year, the Texas Republican Party censured Gonzales for supporting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a response to the massacre in Uvalde, a community Gonzales represents. He was also cited for voting to protect same-sex marriage and for being the only Republican to vote against the House rules package for the current Congress.
Gonzales is thoughtfully engaged on immigration. Last year, he introduced the HIRE Act, which would extend guest worker visas from one year to three years, allow for vetting to occur virtually and allow companies to promote these openings as nonseasonal jobs to attract American workers. He also sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
Gonzales is clearly the best choice in this race. We will offer a recommendation in the Democratic primary in a separate editorial.
There are several other contested Republican congressional primaries in the San Antonio area.
In the 28th Congressional District, we cannot offer a recommendation.
In the 35th Congressional District, we recommend Brandon Dunn, a loss prevention manager for O'reilly Auto Parts. In 2022, Dunn's 15-year-old son died from fentanyl poisoning. He has testified before Congress about the crisis, and he moved us with his ability to transform grief into advocacy.