“U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales draws GOP primary challenge from Cotulla rancher Susan Storey Rubio” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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One year after U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales survived his Republican primary by fewer than 400 votes, another GOP challenger has emerged to target him in next year’s midterms.

Susan Storey Rubio, a rancher from Cotulla, launched her campaign for Gonzales’ 23rd Congressional District Thursday evening, attacking the Republican incumbent for not taking a hard enough line on border security and accusing him of making “empty promises.”

She’ll put $350,000 of her own money into the race, according to a source close to the campaign.

“Tony Gonzales is a spineless moderate who didn’t do a thing to stand up to Joe Biden and the Democrats and hasn’t lifted a finger to help President Trump,” Storey Rubio said in a news release first shared with The Texas Tribune ahead of her campaign rollout.

In a 2-minute launch video, Storey Rubio tags Gonzales, who was first elected in 2020, as a bureaucrat and a career politician.

“It’s time to round up the career politicians and deport them out of Washington, D.C.,” she says in the ad, which features a bus labeled “ICE” — referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — parked in front of the nation’s Capitol.

Gonzales, a centrist from San Antonio and U.S. Navy veteran, ran his tightest race yet in 2024, when he won with just 50.6% of the vote in a primary runoff against YouTuber and pro-gun activist Brandon Herrera. It was Gonzales’ first primary cycle after the Texas GOP censured him for splitting with House Republicans on key votes, including his support for a bipartisan gun law in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting in his district.

The race drew national attention, with feuding between Gonzales and the right flank of the Republican Party spilling into public. Then-U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, and leaders of the hardline House Freedom Caucus endorsed Herrera. Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson endorsed Gonzales, with Johnson traveling to Texas to fundraise for him.

Gonzales outspent Herrera more than 2-to-1 — but won their head-to-head runoff by only 354 votes.

Gonzales reported $1.9 million cash on hand at the end of the most recent campaign filing period, which ended in March.

Texas’ 23rd Congressional District stretches from San Antonio to the outskirts of El Paso, covering the largest stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border of any district in the nation.

Republican Zeke Enriquez has already filed to run against Gonzales in the March primary. Democrat Santos Limon, who lost to Gonzales with 38% of the vote last November, will vie again for the Democratic nomination. Another Democrat, Peter White, has also filed.

The primary election is scheduled for March 3.

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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/12/texas-tony-gonzales-gop-primary-challenge-susan-storey-rubio/.

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The post Rep. Tony Gonzales draws GOP challenge from Cotulla rancher appeared first on feeds.texastribune.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

The article reports on a Republican primary challenge in Texas with a focus on internal GOP dynamics, highlighting a moderate incumbent facing criticism from a more conservative challenger. The language remains mostly neutral, presenting direct quotes from both sides without editorializing. However, it includes details about endorsements from prominent Republicans and frames the incumbent as a centrist who has faced censure from the GOP right wing. The coverage emphasizes Republican perspectives and electoral strategy, reflecting a center-right orientation typical of political reporting focused on GOP primaries, without evident bias toward either faction.