While conservative hard-liners looking to deny renomination to GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales have yet to consolidate behind a single alternative, that may start to change now that one far-right Texan has decisively outraised the other options.
Gunmaker Brandon Herrera, who has close to 3 million subscribers on his "The AK Guy" YouTube channel, took in $320,000 during the third quarter of the year, which wasn't far behind Gonzales' $350,000 haul. Thanks to his lengthy head start, though, the incumbent still ended September with a huge $1.7 million to $240,000 cash advantage.
But while Herrera still isn't anywhere close to matching Gonzales' war chest, he's so far the only challenger who has the resources to run a serious effort. Former ICE official Victor Avila, by contrast, had only $10,000 to spend, while a third opponent, Medina County GOP Chair Julie Clark, previously self-funded $390,000, but she finished last month with all of $135.44 left, and her interest in writing more checks to her campaign is unclear.
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