2-term incumbent Tony Gonzales challenged by Santos Limon in 23rd Congressional District

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales narrowly survived a primary in Texas' 23rd Congressional District, and now faces underfunded Democrat Santos Limon in the Nov. 5 general election.

Even though Gonzales won the May 28 Republican runoff over YouTuber Brandon Herrera, national Democrats have not targeted him in the fall election. The 23rd Congressional District, which stretches from El Paso to San Antonio, used to be one of Texas' most competitive districts but the 2021 redistricting process redrew the boundaries to make it a safe Republican district.

Gonzales, 44, is a Navy retiree who was first elected to Congress in 2020. He has compiled a conservative voting record but cast some votes on immigration and gun rights that drew condemnation from more conservative Republicans, which led to the tight primary fight.

Limon, 50, is a civil engineer making his first run for public office. He handily defeated Lee Bausinger for the Democratic nomination in the March primary.

Gonzales, who lives in San Antonio, did not respond to interview requests from El Paso Matters and did not complete a candidate questionnaire.

Limon, who was born in Del Rio and now lives in San Antonio, didn't complete the questionnaire but did a 90-minute interview with El Paso Matters at a Downtown El Paso coffee shop.

"I've been getting a lot of pushback because people tell me, 'Oh, you're not experienced, you don't know anything about politics.' But in reality, I know more than the people that have held this office," he said.

But when pressed for details, Santos often showed an unfamiliarity with issues he brought up. For example, he said he wanted to build a high speed rail system in the largely rural district to promote tourism, and stated incorrectly that Congress had set aside $13 trillion for high speed rail.

He also alleged, without any evidence, that Gonzales had enriched himself during his service in the Navy and Congress. "He's a millionaire while serving for the federal government," Santos said.

Gonzales' personal financial disclosure shows four investment or bank accounts worth no more than $15,000 each, credit card debt of $10,000 to $15,000, and a mortgage on his home between $250,000 and $500,000.

His financial disclosure, which is required of all members of Congress, indicates he is one of the least-wealthy members of the House of Representatives.

The 23rd Congressional District includes most of Texas' border with Mexico. About 100,000 El Paso County residents live in the district, including about 50,000 registered voters.

Gonzales has built a huge fundraising advantage in the race. He has raised almost $5 million for his campaign committee and his leadership political action committee, and has about $1.4 million in the bank for the last month of the race, campaign finance reports show.

Santos reported raising about $22,000 and loaning his campaign $89,000 as of the end of June. His campaign, which has missed previous filing deadlines with the Federal Election Commission, has not yet filed his report for the third quarter of 2024, which was due Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Gonzales' financial support includes contributions during the primary from prominent El Paso business leaders who had stopped donating to him in 2022 after a dispute over redistricting .

Gonzales wanted the Texas Legislature to include Fort Bliss in his congressional district, but El Paso political and business leaders – including prominent Republican donors like Woody Hunt – wanted the post to stay in the 16th Congressional District, currently represented by Democrat Veronica Escobar.

The Legislature eventually kept Fort Bliss in Escobar's district, and Gonzales returned thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Hunt. He also said "Congress should immediately investigate corrupt organizations like Hunt Companies," the nation's largest owner of privatized military housing.

Hunt and other El Paso business leaders who frequently donate to Republican candidates did not donate to Gonzales' 2022 re-election campaign after his criticism. But federal campaign finance records show El Paso donors gave $466,000 to Gonzales in 2024, particularly during the Republican primary and runoff election.

Hunt donated $16,500 to Gonzales' two campaign committees. Businessman Paul Foster was Gonzales' largest El Paso donor this year, giving $36,500.

Limon has not reported any contributions from El Paso.