House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) is on his first fundraising trip since passing the Ukraine aid over the objections of his party’s majority, a move that will disrupt the campaign of one of House conservatives’ biggest sworn enemies. I’m visiting Texas for this reason.
Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) said, days after joining Democrats in pledging to keep Mr. Johnson’s job. host Mr Johnson took part in a series of fundraising events on Tuesday. These events are expected to raise approximately $300,000 toward Gonzalez’s re-election bid.
Mr. Gonzalez has played a key role in moving the House Republican Party to the left, weakening conservatives and at times undermining the House Republican Conference’s agenda despite the party’s ostensible majority.
In October 2023, Gonzalez was one of 25 stalwart Republicans who blocked popular conservative Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) from becoming speaker. Jordan won the nomination of the House Republican Conference, but 25 Republicans blocked the conference’s nomination on the House floor, prolonging the House stalemate and ultimately allowing Johnson to take the gavel.
RELATED — Kevin McCarthy: After vote, Jim Jordan is no longer a candidate for Speaker of the House
As Breitbart News reported, Mr. Johnson later broke with common sense and granted amnesty to 25 people who voted to block Jordan.
Strictly speaking, the House Republican Conference has no formal rules requiring members to vote on the conference nominee for speaker. But doing so usually leads to real, practical consequences for members. For example, when conservatives did that to former House Speaker John Boehner and former House Speaker Paul Ryan, there were real consequences. Members who did so were denied golden benefits such as serving on so-called “A committees” such as appropriations, military service, and military spending. Ways and means, never mind letting the gavel chair the committee.
Mr Johnson’s rush to support Mr Gonzalez comes after Mr Gonzalez has consistently clashed with his party on key policy issues such as border security.
Gonzalez, an immigration advocate, said influx areas “need to be places where anyone who wants to come and work can work.” is opposed to the border security bill). meeting.
Mr. Gonzalez’s opposition to the Republican border security plan brought him to the knees of then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who sought to extract concessions from the Biden administration in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. Gonzalez called the Republican plan “un-Christian” and “anti-immigrant.”
I voted for an unchristian anti-immigrant bill and I’m against the debt ceiling.
— Team Tony (@TonyGonzales4TX) March 29, 2023
The debt ceiling agreement Mr. McCarthy managed to broker later contributed to his downfall.
Mr. Gonzalez appears to be more aligned with Mr. Johnson on the issue of border security.
“I talk to Chairman Johnson literally every week about this topic,” Gonzalez said. Said CNN reported in January that while making the case for negotiations that combine the pro-immigration bill currently underway in the Senate with tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid, “It’s the first deal we had when he was running for speaker.” It was a conversation.”
Mr. Gonzalez has vocally called for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a bid to promote his goodwill on border issues. The House ultimately impeached Mayorkas, but as expected, his impeachment failed in the Senate, and the Biden administration continues unabated without enforcing the “anti-immigrant” provisions that Gonzalez opposes. .
His voting record sparked widespread outrage in his home state. In March, the Texas Republican Party’s Republican Executive Committee voted 57-5 to censure Gonzalez of a “lack of fidelity to the principles and priorities of the Republican Party.”
The resolution follows Gonzalez’s vote on a gun control package that would restrict access to the Second Amendment and provide funding for red flag laws and federal protections for same-sex marriage. I was disappointed.
Mr. Gonzalez, a regular on CNN, appeared on the left-wing network on Sunday to endorse Mr. Johnson and his main opponent, Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is endorsing Mr. Brandon, a Second Amendment activist. (R-FL) and U.S. Rep. Bob Good (R-VA). Herrera.
“Look, the House of Representatives is a rough and tumble place, but Mike Johnson will be fine,” Gonzalez said, calling Gaetz and Good “the worst.”
He continued, “These people used to walk around with white hoods on at night. Now they walk around with white hoods on during the day. You see, some of these people are going to help Israel. I wouldn’t be surprised if they voted against it.”
Mr. Good and Mr. Gates opposed Saturday’s vote on the Israel aid bill, but each voted in favor of a House-passed bill in November that would provide funding for and pay for Israel. As Breitbart News reported, Saturday’s vote was part of Johnson’s plan to use the urgency of aiding Israel to free up tens of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in aid to Ukraine, but in exchange for It didn’t happen.
Mr. Gonzalez voted for Mr. Johnson’s package, allowing him to vote on several of Mr. Biden’s priorities. The rules allowing a vote on the package were supported by more Democrats than Republicans.
Mr. Gonzalez did not receive 50% of the vote in the primary election, so he will face Mr. Herrera in the May 28 primary runoff.
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News’ Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
