EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A social media influencer calling himself “The AK Guy” will have a chance to send a West Texas Republican congressman packing in Tuesday’s GOP primary runoff election.

Brandon Herrera took advantage of skills in multimedia platforms and a “minor schism” over gun control between the Texas Republican Party and the 23rd Congressional District incumbent to force U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, to spend time and money he could’ve saved for the November general election, a political observer said.

“One of the challenges was Gonzales taking a different position (after) the Uvalde shooting. That opened a minor schism. Herrera realized there were quite a few conservative voters that were going to stay very hard on gun ownership. That’s one of the points he seized on,” said Richard Pineda, program coordinator for the Sam Donalson Center for Communication Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso.

A one-man attack on students and teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde left 19 children and two educators dead on May 24, 2022. It was one of the worst mass shootings at a school in American history and prompted Congress to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act a month later. The act makes it harder for those convicted of domestic violence to buy firearms and it sets a waiting period for first-time gun buyers under 21.

Gonzales was the only House Republican from Texas to vote for it. The State Republican Executive Committee months later voted 57-5 to censure Gonzales for splitting with the party. A House member from Florida called Gonzales a RINO (Republican in name only) and endorsed his opponent.

The West Texas congressman whose district encompasses more than 400 miles of border should’ve seen something was coming when he drew four challengers for the March 5 primary, Pineda said. That’s twice as many as in 2022. His share of the vote in the primary went from 78 percent in 2022 to 45.1 percent last March. “The AK Guy” garnered 24.6 percent.

The incumbent ‘makes a hard-right’

Gonzales has gone from posing for photos with Nikki Haley in early April to defending former President Trump in network television appearances. Herrera is fielding stinging attacks from the incumbent instead of the other way around.

“Watching his tweets, patiently waiting to see if @TonyGonzales4TX wants to escalate things to the next level. No matter what you’ve said about me, I’ve played nice this whole race. I’d like to think we can make this just about policy, but I’m willing to go as far as you will,” Herrera tweeted on Wednesday.

Earlier, he posted a photo of himself laughing and clutching his gut saying, “The face you make when your opponent spent millions of dollars calling you a Nazi.”

In an interview with KTSM, Gonzales kept up the offensive but also spoke about why he remains the best option to represent West Texas residents.

“He’s only 28 and the only job he’s ever had is being a YouTuber. He’s not a MAGA (Trump) Republican, he’s on record saying Donald Trump will lose the election. I want President Trump to win in November,” said Gonzales, a Navy veteran. “This other guy (Herrera) is all about clickbait. It’s all about the craziest thing he can say or do [….] We have enough clowns here in Congress. We don’t need any more clowns.”

Herrera says he runs a gun manufacturing company and claims Gonzales has purposely taken his comments and satire out of context.

“There can be no more incumbent politicians who vote against the interests of the American people without fear of losing their positions. It’s like once they win their election, they feel untouchable,” Herrera told an online interviewer. “We have to remind them that if they fail to uphold their oath to defend the constitution, we will primary them, we will campaign against them and we will win.”

Herrera has pinned a video of the March 21 confrontation between migrants and Texas Army National Guard members by the border wall in El Paso on one of his social media accounts. He frequently posts videos of his chats with West Texas veterans and gun enthusiasts.

Pineda said Herrera has impacted Texas’ 23rd Congressional District by prompting the incumbent to assert he is a conservative. “You already noticed it on this primary: The congressman has moved back to these positions on the right. And it makes sense from a strategic position,” he said.

Gonzales plays up support for El Paso veterans, international trade

The Republican incumbent represents a huge landmass that includes conservative rural Texas enclaves and border cities that depend heavily on trade with Mexico.

“I am a conservative in my values, but how do you ultimately deliver for all the people? By understanding the issues,” Gonzales told KTSM.

He spoke about voting for Defense appropriations for veterans’ health resources that will benefit many residents of Northeast and Far East El Paso. He says he’s pushing for funds for a new community center in San Elizario, communications and a mobile unit for Socorro law enforcement, and improvements to the Marcelino Serna Port of Entry in Tornillo.

He reasoned his vote for gun control after the Uvalde shooting. “Uvalde is in my district,” Gonzales said. “I’ve worked hard making sure our kids are safe in school and making sure our law enforcement have the training tool and equipment they need to succeed as well as delivering mental health dollars for our children, counselors and teachers.”

He cited situations that explain his position on illegal immigration.

“In December, we had 10,000 Venezuelans under a bridge in Eagle Pass. That’s the worst I’ve seen of the border crisis. One bridge in Eagle Pass was closed, the other was down to one lane. It took people 20 hours to get over (the border),” he said. “Imagine in El Paso being down to one lane (at the ports of entry). How do you separate illegal immigration and make sure that is curbed; and how do you encourage legal migration, people who have to get across for family or business? This is the difference in this race, someone who understands the district.”